By Jessica Gorman
This week’s article reflects an intersection of genealogy and local history. I hope that everyone will come to realize that their family history also records local history. The letters they wrote, the photographs they took, the stories they told, the programs they kept from school plays, graduations, church programs, etc., all these things document some small part of the history of a place. Sometimes, they contain the tiniest detail that by itself may seem inconsequential but may have the potential to answer a question or solve a mystery.
My husband’s family has just such an item. It is a letter written by John A. Sylvester to his wife, Kitty. This letter was written 6 December 1864 from “Camps near Mindon Louisiana.” You may be familiar with Camp Magruder, the Confederate camps located in the vicinity of Minden in the winter of 1864 – 1865. You may also be familiar with the question of just exactly where Camp Magruder was located. Most accounts and evidence place it east of Minden. At least one known account says that it was west. Personally, I agree with the theory that there were probably multiple camps that may have been known collectively as Camp Magruder. Besides trying to reconcile some differences in the accounts that provide any hint of the location, the shear number of troops who were to have been stationed in the area lends itself to the likelihood that these men would not have been in a single camp without some lasting knowledge of the precise location. The number of men in this camp would have been upwards of ten times the population of the town itself. It would seem likely they were dispersed across the larger area.
As mentioned, there is an account that names the camp as Magruder and places it west of Minden. This account is from David Thaddeus Manry who served in the 22nd Texas Infantry. In his diary, he states, “from Minden we went 9 miles South West and camped. On the 2nd of December we moved 3 miles South and camped at Camp Magruder.” Even though Manry’s account was recorded as it happened, it has been previously written off as though he must have been confused simply because his description did not match other accounts. I argue that he was not confused. John Sylvester’s letter corroborates Manry’s account.
John A. Sylvester, my husband’s third great-grandfather, was thirty years old when he enlisted in the Confederate army in 1862. He was a resident of Trinity County, Texas and a member of Gould’s 6th Battalion, Texas Cavalry. He arrived at the “Camps near Mindon” in early December 1864. In his letter, he tells of that night’s supper of stewed chicken, fried pork, potatoes, and biscuits. He mentions being “very scarce of clothing” but that they had not yet had much cold weather. He also says that they were building their houses and that “the health of the company is verry good at the present.” Mostly he concerns himself with matters at home. Among other things, he asks Kitty, “what did you do for money What did you do for shoes.” She had moved from Trinity County after his enlistment and he instructs her not to go back until after he comes home. It seems that his reasons were personal, but Trinity County was also place of turmoil during and after the war.
While his letter focuses on personal matters and makes very little mention of the camps where he was stationed, he does reveal a small piece of information that is a significant piece of evidence in relation to our local history. He provides a general location of the camps. “We are took up winter quarters in about 25 of Shreveporte in about 9 of Mindon La.” He, too, gives a location west of Minden, a location that he describes as 9 miles from Minden just as Manry mentioned a location 9 miles from Minden.
After the war, John Sylvester returned to Texas. He eventually moved with his family to Falls County where many of his descendants still live today and where we gather nearby, every other summer, for a family reunion. Around 1950, John Sylvester’s great-grandson, W.L. Maxey, moved from Texas to Dixie Inn where he worked for Gifford-Hill.
This letter, written in 1864, has managed to survive and be handed down to descendants who came to live so near that place where he camped all those years ago. This letter, written near Minden and sent to a wife in Texas only to be brought from Texas back to Minden, with no knowledge of the part it could play in our local history, found its way to the museum.
Wherever you may live, please consider the importance of the items your family has held on to. Seek out the most appropriate place to share these items (or copies.) It may be a library, a historical society, a genealogical society, an archive, a museum. Be an active participant in preserving history. If you are in Webster Parish, please contact the museum. So often, people will say, “I have something, but I’m not sure you’d be interested.” If it is relevant to Webster Parish, I assure you that I am interested. I also assure you that my priority is to document our history, tell a more complete story, and share that history with anyone who has an interest whether a local resident, someone researching their family history, or just a visitor to the area. Preserving the history of a community requires the participation of the community. I hope that you will join me in this mission.
(Jessica Gorman is the Executive Director for the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, and an avid genealogist.)