Ronnie,

As a followup, I found this information, which might give you some additional clues for your ancestor's service.

http://www.spiers.net/mstree/note_258.htm

Andrew Jackson "Jack" Strahan, second son of Moses, Jr. and Cassie Cottingham Strahan was born Feb. 9, 1817 in Screven County, Georgia. He died 7 Dec. 1887. He was married on 24 Dec. 1841 in Attala County, Mississippi to Nancy E. Lock (born 7 Aug. 1823 in Alabama, Died 17 Dec. 1903). The couple, Jack and Nancy were the parents of eight children . (Ref: gravestone records plus info from the Harvey-Locke-Strahan Bible)

The couple is interred in the Providence Church Cemetery, Carmack Community, Attala County, Mississippi. A. J. Strahan joined the Confederate Army 25 Aug. 1864, at Canton, Mississippi and was attached to Cap't Lomax's Company, Light Artillery, Reserved Forces of Mississippi. According to Government Form 642, he was present but was never paid for his services.

Andrew Jackson Strahan From Wayne Strahan : Monday, November 22, 1999

Andrew Jackson Strahan served in the Civil War in an artillery unit from Mississippi. He was 47 years old at this time. I don't know if he volunteered, but the war was more than three years old when he went in. In my search for information, I received help from Jim Gabel of Rapid
City, South Dakota. This shows the desperate situation the Confederacy was in at the time. We just ran out of men and equipment.Following is the text from the e-mail I received from Jim.

Lomax's Battery (Company) went into service so late in the War, that it doesn't even rate an entry in "Military History of Mississippi," the "Official Records," or any of the standard references on Confederate units. But, there are 114 men, including A. J. Strahan, that have Compiled
Service Records indicating they were assigned to Lomax's Battery. Below is the entry from the "Record of Events:"

Record of Events for Lomax's Battery, Mississippi Artillery,
September-December 1864.

Officers of Lomax's Battery

Tillman Lomax, Capt.
William S. Heard, 1st Lt.
W. G. Aston, 2nd Lt.
James R. Mayson, 2nd Lt.

Lomax's Battery

Stationed at Canton, September 22, 1864.

Stationed at Meridian, Mississippi, September 21-October 31, 1864.

Stationed at Meridian, November-December 1864.
The company has been stationed at Meridian post, state of
Mississippi, since last muster, except an absence of six days that it was gone to Mobile, when an attack was expected there by the late raid from Baton Rouge. The company is under good discipline (the deserters excepted) but inefficient for infantry duty owing to the fact a large majority are old and infirm. The company was organized as an artillery company but has never been equipped. The company undrilled, raw troops.

[M861-Roll//28]

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Jim Martin