Hello List, as I said in a previous post, I am new to this list and I promised to send my Civil War questions and so here they are: My husband's 3rd great-grandfather was Andrew Jackson Barker. He was born in 1834 in Wilson County, Tennessee and lived his whole life there. He is listed in the 1860 Wilson County census which was enumerated on August 21, 1860. Between this census record and December 3, 1861 (the day he enlisted) he moved his entire family over 100 miles west to Montgomery County, Tennessee. He enlisted in Palmyra, Montgomery County, Tennessee on December 3, 1861. He was with the 49th Tennessee Regiment, Company H. My First Question: Why did he seemingly all of a sudden move west? He had not family in this part of the state. Was he thinking that he could go west and avoid the war and when he got so far, he figured he couldn't out run it, so he enlisted? Did that type of thing happen? Okay, I have a copy of his original military records and this is what they say: ENLISTED: December 3, 1861 in Palmyra, Montgomery County, Tennessee WOUNDED: February 15, 1862 at Fort Donelson, Stewart County, Tennessee, went home PRISONER OF WAR: Captured November 22, 1862 in Montgomery County, Tennessee, age 36, 5' 9 1/2" tall, gray eyes, dark hair, sent to Vicksburg, Mississippi on the steamboat Mary Crane COMPANY MUSTER ROLL: October 20, 1863 at Camp Cummings, Mobile, Alabama, deserted, wounded at Fort Donelson, sent home, not having regiment is dropped from rolls My Second Question: I have a copy of the book "Cry Havoc" written by C. Wallace Cross. This book is about the 49th Tennessee Infantry. It lists everyone that the author could locate that was at the Battle of Fort Donelson which is in Stewart County. When the south lost at this battle, the remaining soldiers were taken prisoner of war from the battle site. Not, Andrew Jackson Barker. As you can see from the information above, he was not taken prisoner of war until 9 months later in Montgomery County. He was wounded in the battle, could he have been taken to an army hospital in Montgomery County? The records says he "went home" could he have been taken prisoner of war at his home while recuperating? Now, he was put on a steamboat named "Mary Crane" and taken to Vicksburg, Mississippi. I have tried to find a photo of this steamboat, but I have learned that it wasn't too long after this battle that it was burned in Cheatham County, Tennessee. My Third Question: My Civil War research has only gone as far as Tennessee. Can anyone tell me if I would find any records on Andrew Jackson Barker's service or imprisonment in Vicksburg or anything in Mobile, Alabama. These areas I am not certain how to pursue? Thank you for letting me tell you my Civil War saga. One funny side note: Andrew Jackson Barker is my husband's ancestor. I also have an ancestor Oliver Coonrod that was with the 49th Ohio Infantry, Company H and was also at the battle of Fort Donelson. I like to tease my husband that my ancestor shot his and I won that battle!!! LOL!! In Christ, Melissa Barker

Andrew Barker CO H 49th TN INF Zachariah Barker CO I 49th TN INF ............... What kind of relation might this be here? The NPS site www.civilwar.nps.gov said Crute"s Compendium has no info on the 49th regiment. I would imagine you are in for some heavy digging. You really need to know what the regiment was doing at Ft. Donelson. Where were they at? What was happening and who had control of it on Feb. 15, 1862? Well, let's see..... Ft. Donelson is in Stewart Co. TN.. it was attacked on Feb 12, 1862 by Gen. Grant with almost a 5:1 advantage over the confederates army. see: www.civilwarhome.com/ftdonelson.htm The 49th TN INF was under Col. James E. Bailey (no relation). Grants gunboats moved in on the 14th and engaged the river battery. Fighting on the 15th seemed to favor the Confederates, as they tried to push back Union troops, but consequently they were flanked on the right and lost the works on the extreme right, which put the Union in a position behind the Confederate river battery. In the fight prior to the loss of these works, Bailey's regiment had been used to reinforce the area. On the 16th, the fort was surrendered to Grant's terms of Unconditional Surrender. If Andrew Barker was injured early during battle on the 15th, he may have been able to fall back and avoid the surrender thus getting back home. However, as a CSA soldier why was he, as a POW, sent to Vicksburg? They did have a hospital there, but Vicksburg didn't fall to the Union until July 4, 1863. I would imagine he was sent there because he was being Exchanged? After the area fell to Union control, there were lots of Union troops mustered in the area around Nashville, so he well could have been taken prisoner at home. A pension record of some sort may shed light on that. You may find a little paper trail if you dig into these. Don't neglect Union records; you may find a parole or exchange record. On the 1860 census, Andrew Barker of Wilson co. TN is listed as a "Farm Laborer". On the 1870 census, he seems to be one county over from Montgomery co. in Cumberland City, Stewart co. TN as a "laborer". That's about 10 miles from Palmyra and 20 from Ft. Donelson. On the 1880 census he seems to still be in Stewart co (still "works on farm"). He may have moved to the area to find work on another farm. I would also suggest taking another look at the dates. Someone may have transcribed some dates wrong... Keith Bailey