Patti;

Sparks started out on the staff of Hebert, and was his provost marshall. He was in Louisiana in 1863, and accused by the federals of murdering two captured officers of the 1st Arkansas [colored] at Lake Providence. Thereafter he came back to Texas and was in charge of the Post at Austin in March and April of 1864. See O.R.A. 1,IV.107; O.R.A. 1,XXIV pt.3, 590; O.R.A. 2, VI, 1079.
Sparks got in extremely hot water for taking three political prisoners from the custody of the Texas Supreme Court in March 1864, which provoked a constitutional crisis beteen the military and the court. Sparks along with Magruder were subsequently held in contempt by the Texas Court.
See The State V. Sparks, 27 Texas Reports 502, 1864, and State V. J.H. Sparks and J. Bankhead Magruder, 27 Texas Reports 564 (1864]. I am working on a paper on this incident, and it is to the point where it is too long for an article and too short for a book. If you get any additional information on him, I would appreciate it.

The Court was hearing a Habeas Corpus proceeding, and during a recess, Sparks had the Texas Capitol building surrounded by two companies forbidding both ingress and egress. Not finding the prisoners there, he then went to the Travis County jail and took them from the Sheriff at bayonet point. The court was not happy.

Randy