Private Jean Baptiste Foisie - US Army

The “Editor’s Notes” in the following text are my own, Gary Ledoux. The rest of this material has been researched and amassed over many years and placed in manuscript form by Jean Baptiste Foisie family member Felix “Hap” Scott Lagasse. Other contributing family members include, Raymond Alfred Lagassee of Lebanon, NH who transcribed and edited the material and Stepen Charles Lagasse of White River Junction, VT who formatted and also edited material.

Jean Baptiste Foisie (hereinafter referred to as JBF) was born October 6, 1830 in the small, rural Canadian town of Chambly, Province of Quebec. Little is known of his childhood. However, it is likely that he attended a small, local school, probably a one-room schoolhouse, where he learned reading, writing and arithmetic. The reading and writing were likely in French. He was said to have “excellent hand-writing skills – however, French spelling was not his forte.

JBF’s father died in a logging accident only days before his birth. His mother remarried when JBF was three years old. To this second marriage, a daughter and a son. The daughter was later known as “Aunty Bourque” (her married name) when she would visit family in Nashua. The son later became a priest, and was known as “Father Lalanne.” Assuming life advanced as normal for young JBF, he probably received nine years of schooling. What is known for sure is, he left Canada for the US, in 1846, at the age of sixteen.

It is unknown exactly why JBF left Canada. It may have been due to political and/or cultural strife because the Province of Quebec had been under English rule since 1759. Additionally, English loyalists migrated from the US to Canada after the American Revolution and the culture was becoming more English than French. It might have seemed like Quebec wasn’t Quebec any longer. On the other hand, this was a time when many people from Canada, and other countries were migrating to the US in search of a better life. Specifically, to work at the textile mills along the Merrimack River, at places like Concord, Nashua, and Lowell. Manpower, and lots of it, was needed to run their textile machines. JBF might have simply gone along with the flow south.

But JBF didn’t go that far south. He just went right across the international border and settled in Northfield, VT, only about 100 miles from his hometown. On February 11 1853, JBF married Leocadie (“Cadie”) Manseau in Montpelier, Vermont. Evidently, JBF liked living in the US because on September 9, 1854, he applied for US citizenship.

From here, JBF and his wife moved to Concord, NH. The 1860 census does not provide a street address for the couple but only that they lived in Ward 7. They are listed as John Foisay, (this was the original spelling of his name. More on this later.) age 27, wife Lucretia (this was a mis-spelling of Leocadie), age 26, daughter Eva Caroline, age 3 and daughter Augusta Margarite, age 1. His occupation was listed as “Blacksmith” and he worked for the Abbott-Downing Company in Concord, makers of the world-famous Concord Coach. Author of the JBF biography, Felix Scott Lagassé wrote, “I imagine that the 3½ year period from 18 June 1858 when they moved to Concord, to 18 December 1861, was a relatively happy period for this new immigrant family. The father had good steady work at probably above average pay and was now a naturalized citizen of this country. The family was growing, with two lively little girls, Eva and Augusta, and a son, Philip, was born on 24 June 1860.”

But while JBF and his family were enjoying life, things were about to change dramatically. In the early morning hours of April 12, 1861, Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumpter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, and the civil war was on. At the time JBH was a little over 31 years old, with a wife and three young children, and a good job. By today’s standards, he was too old to fight, plus he was responsible for a family, and was well-able to support them. There seemed to be no reason for him to join the militia… but join he did.

With other area men, JBF joined the Army, more specifically, the Eighth N.H. Volunteer Regiment, Company H, on December 10, 1861. The ten companies, A through I, skipping J, and ending with Company K, were formed in various parts of the state. They all converged at Camp Currier, located on the outskirts of Manchester, NH. They began arriving in the middle of October, 1861. Each Company was comprised of approximately 100 men. Pay for enlisted men was $12.00 per month. This could not have been enough to make any man leave a wife, home, children, and a good paying job. Biographer Felix Lagassee notes, his reason for volunteering must have been, “due to his love for his newly-adopted country, and the patriotism he had developed for it.” JBF received his Citizenship /Naturalization Papers on February 9, 1860.”

The Eighth NH Volunteers trained and drilled at Camp Currier from October, 1861 to January 25, 1862. From some of the diaries that survived that period, here are a few entries from some of the recruits:

• October 14th: Had the first drill in camp. 
• October 18th: No rubber blankets nor woolen shirts to shield us from the cold, given out yet, still we work for the State in the forenoon marking time “eyes to the right, eyes to the left” in squad drill in the afternoon wheeling and stumbling about in Company drill 
• October 28th: The time day and night (at Camp Currier) up to November 1st to tell the cold truth, is spent in shivering, scolding, shouting, snorting and by some, I must confess, in swearing. 
• November 3rd 17 year old Sam records: There is Drill every forenoon and afternoon two hours each time, and it is good fun, I tell you! Some of our men are awful green and get nothing into them hardly, so the Cappen (Captain) gets me to give them an extra Lesson every day so you see I am not considered the greenest. 
• November 11th: The wind blew over five of our tents and as we have no overcoats nor stoves we suffer day and night. 
• November 24th: Continual snowing and blowing. 
• December 9th: The Regiment is full (No joke)
• January 17th: Got from the Government 50 cases of Australian rifles. Commenced eating “hard bread”, it was a great curiosity to see it and also eat it… it is tough on the gums.
• January 21st: Busy shoveling snow… enemy not in sight!
• January 25th: Got up early and cold, eat (sic) our breakfast quick, struck our tents and packed them. We looked like a family of Pilgrims, all covered with snow from head to foot. Some had some liquor on and it was amusing to hear them talk. We waded to the depot in the snow; a large crowd was there and it was very affecting, a sad time, but we all hope to join our friends before three years.
• January 25th From the Chaplains Diary: On January 25, 1862, at noon, Camp Currier existed only in name. The sun waded out through the ragged-edged smothering clouds and looked in vain for it. In and through the vast expanse of snow upon dreary plateau once occupied by tented life and teeming with the paraphernalia of war, and resounding with the sharp roll of drums, the shriek of the wry necked fife, and the hoarse calls for the “Corporal of the Guard”, now stuck-up disorderly rows of stakes, broken tables and bunks, marking where lines of company streets once were. Scattered about were old foot gear, half-burned blankets, battered stoves, and the inevitable bottles and bones. The cold winds intoned a sad requiem over the remains, but many a boy when afterwards suffering on Ship Island or in hospitals besides the miasmatic lagoons of Louisiana, wished for a reviving sniff of that same keen, home-made mountain air and a draught of water from the ice-bound streams of the Granite State.

The Eighth NH Regiment boarded a train and headed south, through Lawrence and on to Boston where the men gathered at Faneuil Hall for the evening. They then moved on to Fort Independence on Castle Island in Boston Harbor. The fort was first occupied then abandoned by the British during the Revolution. The existing granite fort was built between 1833 and 1851. There had been rumor amongst the men of the Eighth that they would spend their entire three years of service protecting Boston. Once settled, the drilling and marching continued. Ice and snow were hauled out of the fort. Many men were sick due to exposure and inadequate clothing. On February 12, 1862, one recruit wrote, “We got all our new clothes and they are as smooth as cat fur.”

The Eighth remained at Fort Independence for about three weeks awaiting ships to take them to Ship Island, Mississippi. JBF sailed on the “Eliza and Ella” from February 18, 1862 to March 29, 1862. The trip was described by one recruit as a “rough and stormy passage.” The ship contained 400 soldiers; all quartered below deck in what was described as “a dungeon without any light except for six dim lanterns.” It was further noted, “The cooks are all seasick. They made a dish of ‘boiled flour’ which was more akin to wallpaper paste.” The ship made a short, two-day stop in Nassau to take on fresh water… and new navigator. The men were able to go ashore, a welcome respite from the fetid air of the ship’s hold, an outdoor environment without snow and ice. The Eighth arrived on March 29 joining the rest of the regiment already there.

Ship Island was described by one recruit as “a heap of sand, 10 miles long, and one mile wide at its widest point.” It is 10 to 12 miles south off the coast of Biloxi. The Eighth, together with other units of the Army and Navy were assembling on Ship Island, planning a combined attack to capture New Orleans, then move up the Mississippi to capture Port Hudson and then Vicksburg, Mississippi. If that could be accomplished it was felt the supplies of food and war materials being sent from the Western Confederate States of Texas, Arkansas and that portion of Louisiana West of the Mississippi, to the Eastern Confederate States would be cut off. This, it was hoped, would result in the collapse of the Rebellion. These military forces, as assembled, were termed “The Department of the Gulf” and were comprised of about 15,000 men. JBF was part of those who would participate in the occupation and retention of New Orleans. After a primarily naval battle, New Orleans fell to the Union on April 25, 1862.

The Eighth NH Regiment remained at Ship Island until early in May, when four companies of the Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Lull were sent to Fort McComb and Fort Pike about 25 miles from New Orleans, to guard the Southern entrance to Lake Pontchartrain. These were probably the same four companies, A, F, H and K, including JBF, that had sailed together from Fort Independence in Boston Harbor. A recruit’s letter from that period states, “It is now seven months since we were mustered into service, and we have seen no pay gold yet, though a report is current the United States paymaster is in New Orleans laden with “paper promises to pay.”

On June 25, 1862, the Eighth reached Camp Parapet, New Orleans, this to prevent the Confederate Army from concentrating in large numbers. Being in a city, there was plenty of food for the Union Army. Official receipts were supposed to be issued to each farmer or merchant for foods usurped by the military for their consumption, payment to be made at a later date. But that didn’t always happen. Hungry men were not interested in issuing receipts. 

In addition to operating the city of New Orleans and protecting it from being recaptured by Confederate troops, the Union Forces of the Army of the Gulf, under General Banks, engaged in numerous probing actions and battles in the Louisiana country-side. During this period, the Eighth NH Regiment took part in no less than 15 engagements. 

When not fighting, JBF was on “detached duty” working in a bakery, making bread for Union soldiers, in New Orleans. Union soldiers had taken over a privately owned bakery; however, the bakery owner remained to manage things. Apparently, JBF had had this job for some time. Before the invention of such machinery, being a baker, and kneading dough by hand was a strenuous job. In so doing JBF experienced a sharp pain and almost passed out. Long story short, it is believed that JBF probably had what is termed an “inguinal hernia”. This is a condition where a part of the intestine has pushed through a weak spot in the abdominal wall in the groin area and entered the scrotum. This condition should have been corrected by surgery as soon as it occurred. However, in those days, with Army surgeons few and far between, after a short break, he was returned to Detached Duty at the bakery and later active military duty, with the problem uncorrected, even to the day of his discharge. Despite this, JBF did such a good job making bread, the shop owner wanted him to return as a baker when his enlistment time was up. 

On May 27, 1863, despite the fact that he had a hernia, JBF, and everyone else on detached duty, even those recuperating in field hospitals were recalled to fight. The Eighth had left NH with over 1,000 men. On this date, due to disease, death and being wounded, only 300 were combat-ready. This was the first attack on Port Hudson, resulting in some of the worst casualties yet experienced by the Eighth with a 40% casualty rate.

Union forces formed a line stretching from four to six miles consisting of about 14,000 men. The Confederates within Port Hudson had about half that amount. The Union then laid siege to the Confederates conducting multiple attacks, but never allowing Confederate men to leave, or supplies to enter. A second major attack by Union soldiers was conducted on June 14, 1863.  

It was during the second attack on Port Hudson on June 14, 1863 that JBF was wounded in the left shoulder. Physician George Wilbur signed an affidavit on June 22, 1880, stating that JBF was wounded by a bullet that entered his left clavicle and exited near the scapula. Also, John K. Stokes, Captain of Co. H, states that JBF was wounded in the shoulder at Port Hudson.

On July 8, 1863, the Confederates surrendered, their commanding officer General Gardner noting that he was surrendering due to “…the exhaustion of his men who had been without rest for weeks and could not resist another attack.” On top of that, the men were literally starving to death.

Dr. Clark, the Regimental Surgeon, later said in a certified statement that he extracted the bullet from JBF in a field hospital on June 15, 1863, and that at that time, JBF also suffered from acute rheumatism. According to Captain Stokes, JBF apparently spent the time between June 15, 1863 and July 2 1863 assisting in light work in the camp kitchen. He was sent to the General Hospital at Baton Rouge and admitted on July 2, 1863. On July 15 he returned to his Regiment despite having rheumatism and malaria. Records also indicate that JBF was sent to University Hospital in New Orleans during the Red River campaign, which covered the period from March 31, 1864 to May 18, 1864.

Apparently, JBF eventually recovered enough to leave the hospital and he was again assigned to detached duty at the bakery. On October 21, 1863, malaria caught up again with JBF and he returned to the University Hospital in New Orleans for “Malaria Fever.” 

JBF was in the hospital over the 1863 holiday season. On New Year’s Day, 1864, he felt like writing a letter to his wife and children. However, the hospital did not have any writing paper available. JBF had made friends with another soldier working in the hospital shipping and receiving department who provided him with some wrapping paper. JBF cut it into sheets, 14 inches wide by 21 inches long, then ruled it off in spaces ½ inch in width. It was on this paper that he wrote his letter. (Editor’s Note: This original letter is now preserved at The Department of the Army, U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania 17013.) The letter was originally written in his native French, and later translated to English. At 8 pages it is quite long. It took him the better part of New Years Day, and into January 2nd to write the complete missive. Here are some excerpts:

• His opening paragraph showed a great love for his wife and family. He stated, “It seems to me there is no happier day for a married man to be home on New Year’s Day together with his wife, children and friends.” (Apparently, for French-Canadians, being with family on New Years Day was a special part of the holiday.)
• The letter also shows that he was a religious man. He states, “I was up at dawn to go to early Mass, but the guards were not allowing anyone out.” Apparently, there was a church right across the street. JBF was looking out a hospital window at the church, and the coming and going of parishioners while he wrote his letter. Despite being New Orleans, the day was cold and blustery and he mentioned people running to and from the church.
• He continues about everyday life in the hospital, “I assure you that their laws are strict and one must pay attention to everything. They punish a man for expectorating on the floor, instead of the cuspidor, which are in all rooms. At eight o’clock, taps are sounded for bed, and all light out.”
• As has been customary for over 100 years, (probably longer) hospital patients complained about the hospital food. JBF was no different: “If they fed us as well as they do their duty, I wouldn’t be so sad being sick, but their food isn’t very good.”
• A few days prior, some Colonel went through that hospital talking to each soldier, trying to get them to re-enlist, even offering a $500 bonus for a two-year re-enlistment. JBF noted that the money, “… doesn’t seem to tempt anyone.”
• JBF made note of two people that were hurt on Christmas Day (or possibly on December 21) in two freak accidents within seconds of one another. A woman was accidently shot in the chest by a soldier mishandling his rifle. Stopping to tend to the woman, a soldier on detached duty driving a horse-drawn trolly car stepped off the trolly, slipped, and fell under the car and was crushed. JBF ruefully remarked, “One does not have to be on the battlefield to be killed. God takes us anywhere.”
• He noted that the Union soldiers had cleaned up New Orleans. It had been a rather unhealthy place with outbreaks of yellow fever and cholera each summer. He notes, “When we arrived here there was no pleasure in walking down the streets, for the filth was everywhere. At present, everything is in its place and they make them pay a fine for all negligence they do to the city.” 
• On local wages, JBF noted, “The workmen here have much higher wages. Bakers got as high as $3.00 per day here in New Orleans before the war. I was offered $2.00 per day by the man who owned the bakery where I worked.”
• Being Canadian, and proud of it, JBF said that he had seen Canadians everywhere he went in the south. He would speak to them in French, and they would answer in French and each knew they were Canadians.
• The south was rapidly changing. Even as a lowly Private in the Union Army, JBF could see the upheaval in southern society and culture. He said, “Now they are afraid that their Negros will learn to read and write or learn other things.”  He continues, “All their Negros are gone, and those not gone will soon go, and they will have to sell now (plantations) because there is no one to do the work.”
• JBF mentioned the heat in the South was not as bad as people in the north portend it to be. “If I ever have a chance to get back north,” said JBF, “I will enjoy listening to those ‘Know-it-alls.’” 
• He continued his letter the following day while sitting at the same window. People came by, amazed that he was still writing the same letter. He said that he only wrote home once a year, so he had plenty to say. Some would just stop and stare at him in wonder.

JBF remained in the hospital until he was discharged from the military on December 24, 1864. Biographer Lagasse wrote, “I might also note that the spelling of his name is Foisy on his Naturalization Papers but Foisie on his Discharge Papers. The reason for this change is interesting and is explained by the following excerpt from a letter I received from Beatrice Ledoux Stewart, one of JBF’s granddaughters. She wrote to Aunt Gustie (Augusta Foisie): 

Grandpa, when he enlisted, had already been naturalized and at that time was given the privilege of changing his name without paying. Not having liked the spelling of his name with a “-y” ending, and yet, not wishing to change the pronunciation of it, he changed the “-y” ending to “-ie”  Thus, Foisys spelling their name ‘Foisie’ are quite likely to be descendants of JBF.

During the last few months of his enlistment period, his health improved sufficiently so that he was promoted, on September 24, to “Ward Master.” He was discharged with 149 others. To get the Eighth back home, they went by steamboat up the Mississippi River to Cairo, Illinois and from there, by rail back to Concord, NH. The Concord Daily Monitor of January 17, 1865 said in part:  

The veteran soldiers of the 8th New Hampshire Regiment, 150 strong, with Col. Hawkes Fearing in command, reached this city at 11 o’clock in the morning, their term of service having expired nearly a month ago. In the absence of Colonel Head, Colonel Hutchins of the Governor’s staff made the necessary arrangements for their reception. The intense cold rendered it impossible for the Brigade Band to play, (The notes freezing faster than they were formed) but detachments from Companies F and H of the V.R.C. under the command of Capt. Woodbury, met our returning braves at the Depot and escorted them, to the inspiring music of the fife and drum, to Phoenix Hall, where they formed a hollow square and were very briefly but appropriately welcomed by Governor Gilmore and Capt. Norton, after which they partook of a substantial repast, furnished as usual by Dumas & Thompson.

Upon the soldiers return to Concord, a Dr. Mather Cleveland of New London, New Hampshire summarized: 

A total of 3,088 New Hampshire soldiers and officers served in Louisiana. Of these a total of 129, or 4.1% were killed or died of wounds received in action. The number of those who died of disease reached the staggering total of 560, or 18.1% making a mortality rate of over 22%. The high rate of deaths from disease can be attributed to the fatal climate of the Gulf States in which they served.

Although JBF was fortunate to survive, and very happy to be able to return to his wife and children, he was far from being in good health when he was discharged. To wit: he had a hernia that had never been “repaired”. He developed Malarial Fever. He had suffered a bullet wound that had left him with a shattered shoulder. And the large doses of quinine that had been administered due to his Malarial Fever had left him almost deaf. Like veterans of the past, and future veterans, ailments acquired while on active duty severely handicapped their civilian life. JBF had a hard time earning a living. For many years, he, like many other veterans, received a pension of $8.00 per month. This amount was later raised to $12.00, and in the last few years of his life was $20.00.

At age 35, and after only three years of military service, with a hernia and crippled arm, JBF was in a tough position. He tried several jobs unsuccessfully. He even tried freight hauling and purchased a couple of horses; but found it too taxing. He returned to his job with Abbott-Downing as a blacksmith helper. He had the idea that raising a family would be easier in the South and he even began to make plans to move, packing up all the breakable dishes into barrels. Discovering that he had plans to move south, his employer gave him a sizeable pay increase to stay. That assuaged him for a time but he was still not happy with his general condition – and his wife did not want to hear about moving south away from family and friends. He stayed at Abbott-Downing until October 1865. At that point, the Foisie family moved to Nashua. He figured a city with more industry would give him more opportunity to make a living.

Upon arriving in Nashua, JBF found employment with George Underhill at his Underhill Edge Tool Company, who made all types of tools that required a sharp edge. (Editor’s Note: George Underhill was the father of the Crown Hill neighborhood in Nashua buying up the land in the 1840’s, then platting it with house lots and selling the lots in the 1870’s.) JBF also bought a house from Underhill located at 76 Temple St. (Editor’s Note: The original house on this site is long gone. It is now an apartment and a Senior Center.) He turned out to be a good worker, but due to his infirmities, he could not wield a heavy sledge hammer. During the summer of 1867, JBF needed two canes to walk. Frustrated, he left Underhill’s, subsequently felt somewhat better, and then returned to Underhill’s. He remained at Underhill’s until December 1871 when he felt he could no longer work. He lost his job and his home.

After leaving Underhill’s, it was obvious that he could not perform manual labor any longer, JBF found work clerking at a General Store on Nashua’s Main St. run by Coleman Murch. (Editor’s Note: This may have actually been Murch and Reed: Boot and Shoe Retailer who had several locations on Main St. during this time.) At this time, the family was living at 288 Main St. This would have been on the east side of Main St. near the intersection of Main and Otterson St. which was called the Harbor area. That house was probably razed in the late 1940’s It was a used-car lot for Nashua Auto, a Ford dealer, for years.

In the spring of 1872, he joined the Nashua Police Dept. where he stayed until the spring of 1874. Between 1875 and 1878, he tried working some land, drove a baker’s cart and did other light jobs as best he could despite being sick and disabled. He also learned that the quinine he was given for his malaria and very negatively affected his hearing.

(Editor’s Note: From my book, Nashua’s Finest: The History of Law Enforcement in Nashua NH is this passage: In 1873, there were seven men on the City Watch roster.  The highest paid men were J.B. Foisie and J.W. Kendall at $765 per annum. (Note: $765 is worth about $19,000 in 2023 dollars.) The lowest paid was C.T. Robinson at $148 per annum. It is unknown how many hours each worked to earn that amount of money. The City Marshal, S.H. Murdough was paid $500 per annum.)

In 1878, JBF returned to the Nashua Police Dept. where he remained until 1889. The Police Department was criticized by some for keeping him because of his deafness. However, he had a little dog that accompanied him on his patrols. The dog would bark at the approach of anyone. With this canine assistant, he was able to successfully do his job for a period of about 11 years and he gained the respect of everyone who knew him. JBF was so well-liked by his associates on the Police Force that some of them offered to walk his “beat” when he was ill, so that his pay would continue.

The later years of his working life were probably his happiest and most profitable, for he entered “politics” and developed quite a following of supporters among the French population. JBF was a staunch Republican and during one Republican period he was named Overseer of the Poor. Although this was not a very high paying position, it provided a regular salary and enabled him to save a little money for a “rainy day”. In September of 1878, he was also appointed a Justice of the Peace.

The 1880 census shows nine children living with JBF and Leocadie at 174 Hollis Street. Caroline (21) and Augusta (20) are cited as employed “Doing table work”; while Philippe (18) is a “Painter”, and 14-year-old Charles “Works in Bobbin Shop”. Louise is listed as 12 years old and attending school, likely the 7th grade. The “Bobbin Shop” was mostly likely the Eaton and Ayer Bobbin and Shuttle factory on Water St.

(Editor’s Note: The census said they lived at 174 Hollis St. but didn’t say if it was East or West Hollis. East Hollis St. would have put them at the far east end of the street almost to the Hudson Bridge. Going West, they would have been across from the cemetery just before Havana St.)

It was sometime during the latter part of the 1880s, when JBF had accumulated sufficient resources, that he began thinking about building a home of his own. First, he and his wife had to decide in what part of the city they would like to live. In those days, the people with similar lineage would usually live in the same neighborhood.

JBF selected a more sparsely settled area on the “western edge” of Nashua. Although only a mile up Lake St. from Main St., in those days it must have seemed a long way.  (Editor’s Note: Nashua had grown from what became Library Hill southward, and from the “Harbor” area, what became Simoneau Plaza, northward, and only a few blocks east and west.) This choice was probably influenced considerably by the fact that the building lot had been given to JBF by his son-in-law, Dr. Israel Thorndike Hunt, who, with his brothers and sisters, owned large land parcels both in and around the city. The lot chosen was at 24 Monroe Street, near the Fairgrounds. It was a “well-designed house with a good-sized barn and carriage shed.” The barn had a cellar under the main part and a loft for hay storage. There was also a poultry shed that was about 15’ by 25’ and had a large fenced-in area. 

It was in this house that JBF spent the rest of his life. In 1903, JBF and Leocadie celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. JBF died February 27th 1909, at the age of 78. Wife, Leocadie, lived a few more years and died on December 12th 1912.

During these later years, the following stories were shared amongst family members:

Rattle, Rattle

During the war, JBF was on guard duty one night. It must have been a dark night, and the area was partially covered by brush. There had been a long, dry period and everything was dry and brittle. While JBF was patrolling his assigned area on the outskirts of the camp where his Company was sleeping, he heard the snapping of small twigs and the rustling of leaves in a bush. After calling out the password and receiving no answer, he fired his gun into the area from which the noise had come. This, of course, aroused the entire camp. Torches were lit and upon close inspection of the area, they discovered that he had killed a large rattlesnake with seven rattles. His superior officers deemed this an unnecessary reason for awakening the entire company, and he was sentenced to three days in the guard house on hard bread and water. JBF cut off the rattles and saved them. They stayed in the family for over 50 years but have since been lost to time.

A Fork In The Trail

During the war, JBF was in a situation where a battle was imminent, and all the men in the Regiment were ordered to discard their knapsacks. They did and the knapsacks were never retrieved. As a result, he found himself for a period of time, without eating utensils. Desperately in need of a way to eat, while on a march, JBF went into a home on their line of march and took a knife, fork and spoon, as well as a tin plate, as a means of survival. He felt bad about it. He had never stolen anything before and would not steal again afterward. In later years, a family member asked if they could have the utensils and plate as a remembrance of JBF. She was given only the fork; in case other family members also had a desire for a piece. In later years, inquiries were made about the remaining pieces. Nobody seemed to know about them, and like many other things, they are lost to time.