Inscription is: J.F. Hardy ~ CO. H ~ 37 MISS INF. ~ C.S.A.
HARDY, James Franklin (April 9, 1845~March 20, 1932) Buried March 21, 1932 at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, TX
Excerpt from: "Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray, 1861-1865" by Mamie Yeary, P. 308
J.F. Hardy, Marlin, Tex. -Born near Hanesvilee, Miss. Enlisted in the Confederate Army May 11, 1862, at Columbus, Miss., as a private in Company H, Thirty-Seventh Mississippi Infantry, Hebar's Brigade, Walthall's Division, Stewart's Corps, Army of Tennessee; Frank Loper, first Captain, and J. H. McLane, first Colonel.
My first Colonel was killed at the battle of Corinth, Miss.; then my first Lieutenant-Colonel, O.S. Hablan, was promoted to Colonel, and served as such the remainder of the war. I was captured at Nashville December 1864, and sent to Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill., where I remained until June 19, 1865.
I was in the battles of Iuka, Miss., Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., Resaca, Dallas, Calhoun, New Hope Church, Lost Mountain, Pine Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, two hard battles in front of Atlanta, all in the State of Georgia; also in the great battle of Franklin, which was fought on the 30th of November, 1864, and the battle of Nashville, Dec. 15, 1864, where I was captured. I laid in the breastworks at Vicksburg, Miss., for forty-eight days and nights without shelter; took the weather like a brute, and ate mule meat and bread made of peas. When I was captured I saw hard times. We got a pint of soup and a third of a loaf of bread about 9 o’clock for our breakfast, and about 4 o’clock in the afternoon we would get the same amount of rations for our dinner and supper. The Yanks were very cruel to us, also. Our sleeping apartments were (in a long barrack) on bunks, three in a row, one above the other, and only one blanket to the man. When the lights were put out, we were put out, we were not even permitted to speak to our bunk-mate, and if the Yanks caught a fellow talking after dark, he was taken out and placed on Morgan’s mule, regardless of the weather. Morgan’s mule was 2x4 scantling put up on legs about ten feet high. So you see, a fellow would get very cold while he was taking his ride. I had to ride that wooden horse one-day myself. There were about fifteen thousand prisoners there, and we were very thick, and the Yankees would beat some of the boys with big walking sticks like they were dogs. We were not treated as soldiers, fighting for a just cause. We were fighting for local self-government, the same government that Washington gave us. We people of the South never violated the constitution and the whole world is beginning to see it.
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The following from the Texas State Cemetery Website Biography: He came to Texas in 1872. He was a Baptist farmer. He was admitted to the Confederate Men’s Home on May 15, 1920 where he died March 20, 1932. He is buried in the following location: Section: Confederate Field, Section 1, Row C, Number 2
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James Franklin Hardy is the son of Robert Rutherford Hardy (SC) & Adaline McCants (SC). He married Elizabeth Cebell Denham (dau. of James Joseph Denham & Demaris A. Carter) January 4, 1866 in Jasper Co, MS. She preceded him in death in 1905. They had 12 children that I am aware of.
Morgan's Mule
This is a picture of "Morgan's Mule". They often tied weights to the legs/ankles of the prisoners to make the ride that much more difficult. (I'm sorry I don't have the link of where I found this picture because I found it years ago and just happened to find it on my hard drive.)
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