Tim,

Thank you. So, he was absent from sickness almost all of 1863? He has had something very wrong to be sick that long. Wish I knew what it was. I have heard after he was exchanged he made his way to North Carolina and joined back up with the Army of Tennessee. I wonder if he fell back in with the 1st Georgia? Joseph enlisted early and was with an independent company of Confederate cavalry operating in Campbell County, Tennessee the first year of the war. That company disbanded. The next county south of Campbell is Anderson County wherein Clinton, Tennessee is located. Clinton was a huge Confederate cavalry outpost guarding the approaches to Knoxville. Joseph rode into a camp at Clinton and it happened to be the 1st Georgia. He fell in with them to continue the fight against the invaders.

What is odd his whole family was adamant Confederates and he would have served as long as there was a breath in him. His dad (Nathaniel Hammon(s))was in the Confederate cavalry at Mill Springs, Ky (January of 1862). That army was in a bad way after the retreat and they almost starved. He made his way back home (present day drive of an hour and fifteen minutes) where locals turned him in to Yankee authorities and they sent a company of cavalry to his home, captured him and sent him to a northern prison camp. Joeseph's brother, Riley, was in Napier's Cavalry Bttn. and later merged into the 10th Tennessee Cavalry. His first cousin, Jesse Hamon, was with Riley. They fought with Forrest in the Thompson's Station/Brentwood area where it is believed they were killed. Joseph's uncle Hezekiah Hamon (the dad to Jesse) was in the First Tennessee Cavalry. There were only two companies of them guarding a mountain pass at Big Creek Gap - present day LaFollette, Tennessee. 1,100 yankees overran them at 6 o'clock in the morning. He was captured after a very short battle and sent to a northern prison camp.

Thank, Tim for your info. This is a very interesting saga involving my relatives and if I could uncover more info I'm sure it would be something else.

It is odd that they were all relatives but were mostly scattered into different regiments. All lived in the same household or were neighbors.