"We here captured a section of the
Pointe Coupee (Louisiana) battery, made
up of a lot of very fine Creole young
men. The officers, I think, captured
with them were Lieut E. C. Legendre,
of Pointe Coupee; Capt. J. B. Vinet
(H.B. Verret), of New Orleans,
and Capt P. Cranpre. (?)
When we reached Montgomery, Ala.,
about two-thirds of our prisoners were
paroled. Among them were the men of
this battery. I gave them a pack-mule
and some food, etc., and as I bade them
good-by they handed me a letter, of
which the following is a copy :
Prisoners of War, Near Montgomery, Alabama
April 13. 1865
To Lieut. Peabody. 4th Mich. Cav.:
We, members of the Pointe Coupee Buttery, do
hereby tender to you our sincere thanks for your
gentlemanly conduct toward us while prisoners of
war. Should you ever be so unfortunate as to be
a prisoner of war in the hands of our Government,
by addressing n few lines to any of the members of
the battery you may rest assured that nothing will
remain undone by them to render your captivity
as comfortable as possible.
Very respectfully,
Pierre Lanaux, A. Scharinski, W. Mitchel, G.
Rosier, C. B. Marsh, P. Powers, W. J. Barbarin,
M. L. Lawrence. C. A. Baudier, J. A. Bourgeios
H. V. Ottmann, D. Perret, A. J. Bell, A. Revel, L.
Claiborne.
These gallant young fellows took their
lonely way back toward Selma as we
pushed on east.
I wonder where they are now? Did
they all reach home and their loved ones?
The clouds of war lifted, and I went to
my Northern home. The lines of my
life since then have never brought me
in contact with these men, and I know
not what became of them ; but I mention
this matter as one of the few incidents
of war to show that all men are kin.
Thomas H. Peabody, Lt., 4th Mich. Cav., St. Louis, MO.
Note: Jefferson Davis was captured by the 4th Mich. Cav. in the early morning of
May 10, 1865, at Irwinsville, Georgia