Captain Logan H. Ballew from near DeWitt in east Carroll County, MO on the north bank of the Missouri River in central Missouri, was a dedicated southern leader from the start of the war through his many adventures and misadventures including being captured twice until he was banished the the South for "violation of the laws and customs of war" and oath violation on 22 September 1863. Logan and his wife Ann were both born in Kentucky, and if he had any Rhode Island roots, I'm sure he was careful not to mention it to his troops during the war. I have seen "Ballew" spelled in every imaginative way during the Civil War in Missouri, but this is the only Missouri southern Ballew I have studied.

Rhode Island is the only state of the U.S. I managed to tour in a day. I enjoyed it thoroughly, although I found it impractical to tour Narragansett Swamp, since it remains mostly in its original state, and, evidently, the public cannot tour it. This disappointed me, since some of my Nichols ancestors from Massachusetts attacked the native Americans in their stockade there during King Phillips' War of the 1670's. Needless to say, this branch of my family was not part of my southern heritage, but I appreciate their military service.

Bruce Nichols