Alfred Darden, Civil War Solider Mystery, His War Record

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

This is part 2 of a 3 part series about Alfred Darden, a Civil War solider. First we studied his family, parents, wife, children and even grandchildren.

Now, lets see what we can find out about Alfred, his Civil War Service and what I believe happened to Alfred.

Sadly and frustratingly, Alfred created very few Civil War records.  At the National Park Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System web site, A. T. Darden of Mississippi is listed in an Unidentified Unit (the record can be found on Film Number M232 roll 10).  No rank for Alfred is listed.

No date of enlistment has been found.  While researching at the Mississippi State Archives, I did locate a list  of Confederate soldiers serving from the state of Mississippi, there is a listing for a A. T. Darden, National archives number: 46359694. A. T. Darden is shown as a Prisoner of War at Fort Delaware, Del. Captured May 17, 1863 in Mississippi, and paroled at Fort Delaware on July 30, 1863.

I also found in Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865, a record for A. T. Darden.  Again there is no clue as to what unit he may have served in, only that he was from Hines(sic) County, and the record really does not even clearly indicate where he was captured.  It does say he was captured May 12 (or 17th, hard to read), 1863 and that he was sent for exchange on July 30, 1863 to City Point Virginia.

I have found a Compiled Service record for Alfred.  If you can call 3 cards, (reproduced here thanks to Footnote.com), a compiled service record.

Not much on this card, states there are
no medical cards and no personal papers.

D    Miss
A. T. Darden
Pvt   Miss
Roll of Prisoners of War
paroled at Fort Delaware, Del. July 30, 1863
Roll dated:  not dated  186
Where captured Mississippi
When captured, May 17, 1863
number of record, sheet 17
Ths Broderick

A.G.O. 10 St
Sept 13  07
Mr. Whitcomb
We have a
 card from roll 146, Sheet 17
P of W paroled at Fort
Delaware July 30/63
Card copied
A. T. Darden
Pvt.   Miss.
Captured Mississippi
May 17/63
We can not locate him
Do records of Fort Delaware
furnish any addtl information?
Respectfully,
Schmid
CHU (?)
Mr. Brown:
The Duplicate
of the above roll bears
the signature of
A .T. Darden showing
him as citizen same
capture & ?
Sept 25 '07
G?W
x no card found

That is it, the entire compiled service record for A. T. Darden.  One could question, is this the same man as Alfred Darden, husband of Mary S. McClenny Darden?  The honest answer is, I am not positive it is.  Circumstantial evidence tells me, it is.  You have seen one piece of evidence, flimsy as it may be, that being the biography of the grandson, Alfred S. Darden.  I'll show you another piece of the puzzle in my last post on Alfred.



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