Sorry, I had to leave for a while. This is facinating for me. I already owe both of you a great debt and hope to be of service to you some day.

So one other little tidbit of info about this you might be interested in. My grandmother told me that my g grandfather, (Her father-in-law), who died 4 years before I was born, James Albert Sims, b.1851, remembered Mr. Kelley speaking to a group of men at Rock Springs Church when the war started about signing up. He was introduced after the sunday services by the Rev. Will Sampson. Will was 4th Corporal in Co H, 4th Ala Cav Russell's Reg.

I have found service records for David Davidson/ Capt. Co H, Will Sampson/ 4cprl. Co H, Edward Christopher "Ned" Mahan/ pvt. Co H, John Higgins/ Pvt. Co H, William Lang/ pvt. Co H, Daniel Kelley/ pvt. Co K and Robert E. "Bob" Kelley/ pvt. Co K, all of Russell's 4th Ala Cav, and all relatives and close neighbors of and most if not all known personally by Alexander Sims and his family, but never a scrap of information about Alexander. Using the Hillsboro Civil War Research Center, I have ordered and checked The microfilm on the 3rd Tenn Calvary as some of the 4th Ala Cav Co H were supposedly from that unit. Results, nothing. The same article that described this, tarleton.edu, did make reference to Russell's Partisan Rangers. That is one reason for my post. I didn't know if this was the same Alfred Russell or not.

Alexander was reported KIA on March 17, 1863 according to a battlefield report, (Supposedly of Col Russell. This is only family information, not proven). The best I can tell, the 4th Ala Cav was heavily engaged near Shelbyville from March 4th through March 7th, and again somewhat on March 11th, but I can find nothing happening on March 17th. Captain Davidson was wounded and captured at Unionville on March 4th. Perhaps Alexander died on the 17th from an earlier wound, was killed in a radom encounter with a Yankee patrol on the 17th, or the report may have been compiled when "Time permitted" on the 17th.

According to Mrs. Carlyine Pierce, a gg grandaughter of Alexander's, a story passed down through her line says that Mrs. Sims, Catherine Olinda Morgan Sims, was pregnat with their last child, when a Confederate soldier on his way home stopped and told Katie O that he had seen Alexander killed when a Yankee split his head open with a saber. Katie O went into labor and Carlyine's g grandmother, Mahala was born that night.