David and Ben:

I reread the query posted last April by "Dana" on a possible burial site for Private William Thomas Daniel of the 34th Georgia Infantry, and my posted response. I did not suggest in my response to Dana that the date of death for WTD was August 1864. By the letter cited, he died in August 1863.

The Parole Camp at Enterprise had just been established to collect the Vicksburg and Port Hudson parolees in order to start the exchange declaration process. Two railroad routes would have taken this soldier back home to Georgia: (1) the Northeast & Southwest Railroad from Meridian to the Tombigbee River crossing to Demopolis; and (2) the Mobile & Ohio Railroad which would have taken him south to Mobile from where he could travel by train to Montgomery and on to various portions of Georgia.

I think that WTD and Reverend Lea's probable destination was the parole camp at Enterprise. Even though the Mobile & Ohio passed through Enterprise, the more direct route to Georgia was from Meridian to Demopolis. I believe these railroads were still operational in August 1863. Enterprise hosted an active parole camp until burned by General Sherman's forces in February 1864. And the Confederates found ways to make use of what was left afterwards.

It is certainly possible that Reverend Lea took the Private Daniel's body the remaining ten miles into Enterprise and buried this soldier in the military cemetery at Enterprise. It is equally possible, given the heat and humudity of August in Mississippi, that he was buried near where he died "ten miles this side of Enterprise." Ten miles over rough roads in that weather could have been a challenge.

I assumed, further, that there is a list of Confederate dead buried at Enterprise, and that Private William Thomas Daniel is not named among the known dead. I would expect to learn that there are also a significant number of unknown Confederate dead buried at Enterprise. I don't have access to an Enterprise list and had hoped that another correspondent to this CWMB would have come up with that kind of confirming input.

I responded to Dana last April: >>>Enterprise was south of Meridian. Draw a circle ten miles in radius with Enterprise as the center and look for a small rural church or family cemetery at the distance of about ten miles from Enterprise in the northwest quadrant. "Ten miles this side of Enterprise" might put you near the small community of Chunky (think it was called Chunky Station in the 1860's). Another road leads out of Enterprise to the west - ten miles would put you halfway to the towns of Newton (aka Newton Station) or Hickory. I am assuming that Mr. Lea was traveling from the vicinity of Jackson eastward towards Meridian and then turned south towards Enterprise with your ancestor.<<<

A most helpful question to be answered for "Dana" is: where was the 1863 community of Brownsville? This community is not marked on my current Mississippi Highway map, but I have assumed that it was somewhere west of Enterprise towards Jackson and Champion Hill. By limiting the search for Private Daniel to Enterprise, Dana may miss finding his gravesite between Brownsville and Enterprise!

Hugh Simmons