With my recent genealogy obsession and the 150th Anniversary of the U.S. Civil War I've learned of ancestors that fought on both sides of the war. While I'm sure this is not uncommon, there are many people whose family only fought on one side or not at all (depending on when their ancestors came to the U.S., etc).
So it became my goal, once I learned of these ancestors, to join the appropriate societies to commemorate and preserve their contributions to our nation. One by one I'm perusing membership in these organizations and this week I've secured membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
My great(3) grandfather,
Private Thomas Henry Suggs who served in Company "H", 1st Reg't., Mississippi Volunteers, Captain J. Furgurson's Company, of the James Creek Volunteer's. He enrolled on June 24, 1861, and his enlistment shows he was mustered into service for a period of 12 months on September 3, 1861, by General R. Davis. Pvt. Suggs was in action at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, where the greater portion of his Regiment was captured, and is shown sick in Clarksville, Tennessee during the units surrender. Pvt. Suggs later reenlisted back into his unit on September 24, 1862, and later appears on a list of Prisoners of War, captured at Port Hudson, LA. on July 09, 1863. As exchanges were common during that period, his last known record shows his Confederate Muster Card stating: that he was a POW, and released upon his parole, dated July 1863.
I have two other Confederate ancestors,
Private Francis Copeland, 17th Texas Cavalry and
Corporal Johnathan McIntosh, 19th Texas Infantry.
