Carolyn Clay Swiggart has published the letters of Colonel Joseph Longfellow McAllister, Commander of the 7th Georgia Cavalry, in her book “Shades of Gray.” The letters make up one chapter of the book which is a history of the Clay & McAllister families of Bryan County, Georgia during the Plantation Years of 1760 – 1888. This book is a very good read for one who would like to take a close look at what it was like to live on a plantation before and after the Civil War.

The letters of Colonel McAllister illustrate the travels of the 7th Georgia Cavalry from Savannah to Trevellian’s Station, Virginia. He describes the long march on horseback in some detail to include horses dieing from like of water, 40 mile force marches and crossing rivers. These letters give a insight to the personal life of Colonel McAllister and to the movement of a regiment of cavalry from Savannah, Georgia, to the Army of Northern Virginia