Thanks a bunch for the information.
My knowledge of the man and the diary are rather limited. His full name was Robert Adams Kirk and was born in 1825 in Tennessee. By 1860, he was no where near his parents Samuel and Lydia Kirk who were found in Hardeman County in the 1860 census.
I do know that according to the diary he ended the war in Tyler, Texas with Gillum's Regt. He supposedly was working with some sort of support group gathering in grain. His shoulder had been injured and he was then 39 years old. He was supposedly paroled at Shreveport on June 4, 1865 and returned to what was Prairie County at that time.
If he did die in 1871, he was only 46 or about.
As you probably noticed that was not in the original post and more specific information came about only after I had posted.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks once more.
Linda