Sergeant James Lindsey Sims of Company F Grays' 28th Louisiana Infantry Regiment is my Great, Great Grandfather. I am 70 years old and I am trying to nail down all of his Civil War activities, battles and his duties in these battles before I croke. I would dearly love to find a photograph of him in Confederate uniform. Of course I would have a better chance of finding a snow ball in hell than finding a picture of him in uniform. Some years ago I went to the Mansfield Battle Park and I had gotten the impression or read or was told that he manned a cannon during the battle of Mansfield even though he was in the 28th Infantry. I know artillery was attached to the 28th. So I need advice on how to find out all that information again maybe without driving to Mansfield from Texas again. So I could use some help from some experts. I actually re-enacted the Battle of Mansfield in the 1970s at the Mansfield Battle Park and lead the Charge from the position of the 28th and I did not even know my Great Great Grandfather was in the Civil War and there in the Battle of Mansfield. so me histories and historical records do not even mention the 28th yet some web sites state that the 28th was half of the Battle force on the left charge line.

1. I need to verify that he was or was not on a cannon during the Battle of Mansfield if possible. I can not remember how I got the information there.
2. Will I ever be able to determine if his Sergeant Stripes were Red, Blue or Black?
3. Is it possible to find a photograph of anyone in uniform in Gray's 28th if not him so that I can see what the uniform looks like for the 28th?
4. I remember that the 28th received brand new uniforms from Huntsville Prison in Texas just days before the battle. Any chance of a picture of anyone in them? I understand they were white cotton maybe???
5. Is it possible to find out how many Confederate cannons were in the battle and the position of each one so that I could go stand on the actual locations?
6. I would like to find some relics to match belt buckles, buttons and etc. to match up with the 28th as I am a civil war collector.

Floyd Petri
936-635-2556