Hi Alan:

I don't have ready access to the CMSR for either the 3rd Louisiana or for staff officers. I did look Maxwell up in my 1920 print copy of Booth's "Records" which confirms his service as ACS for the 3rd Louisiana regiment. Booth also includes his final parole at Jackson, Mississippi on May 12, 1865. Usually these final parole entries tell where the soldier claimed as home - at least in the Trans-Mississippi records that is generally so. At least I can infer that he remained employed in the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana for the duration of the war in some capacity.

It may be that Mrs. Maxwell was from South Carolina, and not Maxwell himself, and went home to stay with her family for the duration of the war when Maxwell enrolled to serve with the 3rd Louisiana. Or perhaps she fled there after the fall of New Orleans. Booth's entry leaves the date and place of his enrollment blank stating that the only roll on which he was born is the November/December 1861 muster roll. As with most regiments, not every muster roll survived the war. I know from other Booth entries for the 3rd Louisiana Infantry that the May/June 1861 muster rolls survived the war, so I can infer that he probably joined, or was assigned, after the regiment reached Arkansas.

I am more interested on finding some basic information on Mrs. Maxwell than I am on the Captain. Tunnard describes him as person well liked by the rank and file in the regiment. His relationship with the regiment was such that his wife would have made them a regimental flag if asked. It is one of the "White Cross" or Latin Cross battleflags described on the Devereaux Cannon flag website. Maxwell presented the new flag to the regiment in some fashion just before the siege of Vicksburg began, but the flag did not get carried inside Vicksburg. For whatever reason, it probably remained in Maxwell's hands until August 1863 at Enterprise. Then it was brought home to Louisiana where the main body of the regiment was awaiting exchange.

Thanks for responding!

Hugh