You wrote: >>> Returning to the Vicksburg parole certificate, we see that it was attested by his Lt., a Jas. ? Carbry. James T. Carbry was a Lieutenant in Company G, 3rd Missouri Infantry. His signature on Rose's certificate appears to match the signature on his own parole certificate at Vicksburg. --- Furthermore, it appears some clerk wrote in the name, rank, and unit affiliation on these parole certificates. I say this as John's seems to match that of another member of Co. G. --- What seems strange to me is the fact that his signature was attested to by his Lieutenant. I have only seen this on those who signed with "his mark, an X". In this case we have a signature. Perhaps a forgery? <<<

The name of the parolee was filled in on 8 JUL 1863, not after the fact, and signed by John Rose. It was attested to by the signature of Lieutenant Carbry and signed by Captain Charles A. Catlin, Company C, 101st Illinois Infantry, the Federal paroling officer. The clerk who filled in the name, rank and unit affiliation on the parole certificate would have been working for Captain Catlin. A copy of this parole certificate was to have been taken with the parolee to prove that he was a paroled prisoner of war to any authorities who should need to know. I do think the scratch through of the unit name and writing of “5th Arkansas Infantry” was likely done by a War Department clerk circa 1900.

I read the attesting officer’s signature as Lieutenant “Jas. O. Parby” but can not find that name or anything close to it in the NPS Index. It may well be the signature of Lieutenant “James T. Carbry” as you have concluded. Is there a relationship between the 3rd Missouri Infantry and the 5th Arkansas Infantry? The 3rd Missouri Infantry was part of Cockrell’s Brigade, Bowen’s Division. The 3rd Missouri Cavalry (dismounted) and the 3rd Missouri Battery were part of Green’s Brigade, Bowen’s Division. Survivors of these units were swept inside the Vicksburg defenses after the fighting at Champion Hill and Big Black Bridge. Green’s Brigade was composed of the 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st Arkansas Infantry regiments, the 1st Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (dismounted) and the 12th Battalion, Arkansas Sharpshooters.

Your tentative conclusion seems to be that “John Rose” was John S. Rose, Company G, 3rd Missouri Infantry who was dropped from the rolls prior to the siege of Vicksburg. Is it possible that John Rose was a straggler who had been temporarily assigned to Lieutenant Carbry’s company during the siege?

My interpretation of the "attesting" Confederate officer's signature on the Vicksburg parole certificate is that he was giving his personal assurance to the Federal paroling officer that the man was who he said he was in the absence of any other identification, i.e., a Confederate muster roll. Here's why.

The main body of the 12th Louisiana Infantry regiment had marched from the battlefield at Champion Hill under orders from Major General W. W. Loring to Crystal Springs. However, some 200+ members of the 12th Louisiana Infantry can be accounted for inside Vicksburg. They were (1) stragglers who did not get the word on the night of May 16th, (2) detail men absent in Vicksburg prior to the battle, and (3) men sent sick to the hospital prior to the siege.

Captain John A. Dixon, Company C, 12th Louisiana Infantry was the senior officer from the regiment present inside Vicksburg on 18 MAY 1863. All of the able bodied 12th Louisiana absentees inside Vicksburg (approximately 160 men) were placed under his command which was identified as "Dixon's Detachment of the 12th Louisiana Infantry". They were placed in the lines near Fort Hill. After the surrender, all of the parole certificates of the able bodied serving with him in the trenches were attested to by Captain Dixon's signature. Interestingly, the Federal paroling officer who signed the 12th Louisiana certificates was Captain Charles A. Catlin, Company C, 101st Illinois Infantry, the same officer who paroled John Rose. A couple of the 12th Louisiana men had been detailed away to various garrison functions during the siege and their Vicksburg parole certificates were attested to by the officer in charge of their particular detail. In both of these examples, the commonality is the absence of company muster rolls which were with the main body of the regiment at Jackson, Mississippi.

Other Vicksburg parole certificates that I have examined do not have an attest signature. Those members of the 12th Louisiana paroled in the Vicksburg hospitals after the able bodied left on 10 JUL 1863 do not have "attest" signatures on their parole certificates. Captain Dixon had walked out to the Big Black Bridge with the other able bodied parolees on 10 JUL 1863 and been released. The Vicksburg parole certificates of my two SIMMONS ancestors (Company B, 31st Louisiana Infantry) do not have an "attest" signature. The entire 31st Louisiana was surrendered and paroled at Vicksburg. Was the lack of an “attest” signature because the entire regiment was present inside Vicksburg with official muster rolls to be called and responded to? Or was it because a different Federal paroling officer was involved? Captain William Duncan, Company H, 11th Illinois Infantry was the Federal paroling officer for the 31st Louisiana certificates.

I have interpreted the "attest" signature requirement to indicate that Captain Dixon, or the officer in charge of certain details, was required to give the Federal parole officer his personal assurance that the man being paroled was who he said he was in the absence of muster roll records showing enrollment date, etc.

Your thoughts?

Hugh