Henry Asbury Cole

Henry A. Cole died in 1923 and was buried at Beauvoir Cemetery for Confederate Veterans.  His unit was incorrectly listed a CO. A, 37 MISS ---but the records at Beauvoir confirmed this was the same Henry Cole of CO A, 30 MISS.

Pvt Henry Cole enlisted in Co. A, "Neil's Guards", of 30th Mississippi Regiment that was part of General Walthall's Brigade that defended Lookout Mountain.  The Battle of Lookout Mountain was fought on 23 November 1863, when 1/3 of his brigade was captured while fighting around the base of Lookout Mountain. 

Pvt Henry Cole was transferred to St. Louis and then to Rock Island Prison in Illinois.  Rock Island had a death rate that winter that some say exceeded the death rate at Andersonville.  Service Records show that Pvt Cole was released from prison and sent to Hospital No. 9 in Richmond Virginia in April 1865.  In his Pension Application, he stated that he returned home the day(or so?) after General Lee's surrender.

Family history said Henry Cole ran away from home when the war begin as he was only 16 and too young to enlist.  Company A was originally raised in his county he probably knew some soldiers in that unit.  My belief is that he was able to locate the 30th Mississippi Regiment and worked for them as a contract wagon driver or mule skinner.  Another soldier in this same company was Benjamin Tucker---also a native of Carroll County.  Henry Cole would marry the widow of Pvt Benjamin Tucker and raise their 2 children.

Pvt Henry A. Cole joined Company A, 30th Mississippir Regiment, which was originally raised from Black Hawk and Carroll County area.  Henry Cole was too young to enlist at the beginning of the war but finally enlisted the day before the Battle of Lookout Mountain. 

Pvt Benjamin Tucker was also from Carroll County and a member of Company A, 30 Mississippi Regiment.  His service records indicated he was a wagon driver.  I suspect that Henry Cole was employed as a contract laborer before he was old enough to enlist. Even though Benjamin Tucker was several years older, he probably knew him.  Benjamin Tucker was killed at Atlanta in 1864 and left a widow and two children.

After the war, Henry Cole married the widow of Benjamin Tucker.  The two children's appear on census rolls under the name of Tucker and then Cole.  However, as adults they retained their Tucker name.

BTW, in the 1870 Census, Henry is listed under the name of COAL.