Mr Harrison and Mr Spencer

I would appreciate any information you might be willing to share about A. J. Whitley, and his Confederate service. Although you mentioned that he served in the 17th LA Infantry (Co. B, Sabine Independents), I have found no documentation for that service.

I do have some documentation that indicates that he enrolled in Co. E of Breazeale's Battalion of Louisiana Partisan Rangers at Bethel, Natchitoches Parish (along with a number of other young men from Sabine Parish) on 15 July 1862. In the records (Booth, NARA CSR, NPS-CWSS) he is listed as A J Whilley. He mustered into Co. E on 14 Sept. 1862 at Bethel and moved to Camp Butler (2 miles from Natchitoches). In September 1862 his Co. became Co. E of the 2nd LA Cavalry, CSA, which was made up of the 5-companies of Breazeale's Battalion (from Natchitoches, Sabine, De Soto and Bienville Parishes), and 5 additional companies of partisan rangers raised in other parts of Louisiana. His brother C. C. Whitley did serve in Co. B of the 17th LA Infantry, but he is also listed as a member of Co. I, Jeff Davis LA Infantry as CC Whilley, enrolled for 3-months.

The information I have, from the records of a member of Co. E, 2nd LA Cavalry, indicates that AJ Whitley accidentally shot off his finger in Nov. 1862, developed tetanus or lockjaw, and died on 14 Dec. 1862, near Berwick City in St. Mary Parish (near the Rhodes sugar house). He was wrapped in his blanket and buried near the companies camp by the members of his company (E). According to the information I have, he was the first member of Co. E, 2nd LA Cavalry to die in Confederate service. The information indicated that he was married (no wife's name mentioned) and that he had a newborn child that he had never seen.

"A. J. Whitley died this day which was the first death that occured in our company. Our opportunities for giving him a decent burial were few but I got a coffin and after wrapping him in his blanket we placed him beneath the sod of Southern Louisiana. I was very sorry of his death for he left a poor widow and one little babe which he never saw."

If you have information to share or want more information from me I can be contacted at don.gayle@frontier.com.

Thank you

Don Parker