An absolute maybe

          It does not matter what kind of historical research you are doing, the problems are basically the same. You have to find and identify the necessary material and then follow it where it takes you.

          Whether your subject matter is the early years of the National Football League, sports car racing of the late 20^th century or America’s Civil War, the researcher seldom steers the pathway. Oh, you might use the accelerator or stomp on the brakes sometimes, but you don’t do the steering. You are a follower, not a leader. It is a lot like the old Disneyland ride, Autopia.

          The drivel-packed paragraphs above (maybe the pair-a graphs above?) is meant to prepare the reader for the coming description of the latest stumbling block on your loyal blogger’s pathway to research bliss.

          His name was Alonzo Jesse Bullard. Well, that was probably his name. We can confidently assume that this might have been his name. Maybe.

          There is every reason to believe that Bullard likely served in Company C of the10th Confederate Cavalry during the Civil War. The various versions of his name are spread across two Confederate commands, which is consistent with Confederate regimental records about those two units, and is linked to a third regiment, which is consistent with nothing.

          Excellent.

          Alonzo J. Bullard is listed as a Private in the 5^th Battalion of Hilliard’s Legion, a mostly Alabama unit founded by Colonel Henry W. Hilliard in 1862. The 5^th Battalion was the Legion’s cavalry arm and the Confederate War Department transferred the 5^th Battalion to a new unit, the 10^th Confederate Cavalry, almost as soon as it was formed. A Georgia cavalry command was folded in with the 5^th Battalion to form the 10^th.

          Got all that? Good.

          So here we go: There is a grave marker in the Red Hill Cemetery in Lee County, Mississippi for an Alonzo Jesse Bullard. Next to the head stone, there is a marker proclaiming that Bullard served in Company C of the 5^th Alabama Cavalry during the Civil War.

          There is also a Hilliard’s Legion roster that lists Alango J. Bullard as a Private in Company C of the 5^th Battalion of Hilliard’s Legion.

          So you start following the material.

          The Alabama Department of Archives and History does not list a soldier with the sir name Bullard in the 5^th Alabama Cavalry. The ADAH is an exceptional research institution. Your loyal blogger thinks it unlikely that Bullard served in the 5^th Alabama Cavalry.

          The Legion roster compiled by yours truly shows an Alonzo J. Bullard, who served in Company C of the 5^th Battalion. This version of the soldier in question enlisted at the age of 18.

          The grave marker in Mississippi lists Alonzo Jesse Bullard’s birthdate as July 4, 1843. If Bullard enlisted in the Legion any time before July 4, 1862, he would have been 18 years of age.

          Years of study by this blogger indicate the vast majority of Legion soldiers enlisted between July 1 and July 7, 1862 and most went on the record before July 4. Some enlisted in the months before that and a few joined later. If Bullard enlisted on one of the same dates as the majority of Legion members, he would have signed on before July 4, 1862.

          As for the listing of Alango J. Bullard, it appears this is a simple mistake. The rosters of the day, for both the Confederate and Federal armies, were handwritten and the customary writing of the day included plenty of loops and squiggles. Even the pages where the writing is legible are hard to read. What looks like Alonzo to one set of eyes could easily look like Alango to another.

          If the assumptions above (some of which run counter to the evidence) are accurate, Alonzo Jesse Bullard was a cavalry soldier in Hilliard’s Legion before moving on to the 10^th Confederate Cavalry. If not, if there were two soldiers with similar names (which happens a lot).

          We see the coincidence between the 5^th Battalion and 5th Cavalry. The war was long over by the time Bullard passed away. We think the marker is in error.

          There was probably one soldier and his name was likely Alonzo. He served in the Legion and in the 10^th. If you accept ‘probably’ as good enough, you have one name down and 3,000 more to go to build an accurate Legion roster. So far, 'probably' hasn't been good enough. This whole thing might take a while.

          Let’s finish the story: Alonzo Jesse Bullard married Lydia Ann Lackey before the war. Lydia was a little less than two years younger than her husband. The marriage produced six children.

          Lydia passed away January 3, 1924. Alonzo passed away February 15 of the same year. They are under a common head stone.

 

          May they rest in peace. Thanks for reading.