Search for my Roots: Little Sanders Book

Corporal Dudley Sanders, a Civil War soldier from Winn Parish Louisiana and my great grandfather, had a small homemade, hand written, book where he recorded family history from 1860 to his death in 1878. The pages list births, marriages, and death dates for many of the Sanders and Cooley family members. Civil War details were added to my book to understand his perils and compiled in the book titled “Little Sanders Book”. The word spread like wildfire charging through the undergrowth of the Louisiana yellow pine forest. ‘We got ourselves a war!’ Rufus yelled to Dudley. The brothers, with a cousin, Elijah, enlisted in the 28th LA INF in Winn Parish, Louisiana. They went to Tallulah for official enlistment and training. It was warm, with rain, dirt was washed off their makeshift uniforms and the insects sought open skin for a feast. Mosquitoes inflicted bites, the itching leaving whelps. They searched for a crossing over the Lick bayou. They smelled smoke and moved the woods to investigate. “Oh Hell!” Dudley said. “I stepped on a wire and set off an alarm.” A voice rang out “What you boys doing around here?” John Henry, Shorty and a Cousin emerged from the bushes and surrounded the soldiers. They had been making “shine” in a homemade still and collecting salt from smoke house dirt. Dudley said they were soldiers and meant no harm. Shorty yelled in Dudley’s ear “You think we afraid of you Rebel boys, we know you are looking for our still! We aint no Yankees or Union – we just trying to make a living and take care of our family the best way we know, make some liquor and dry a little salt and send it down to Natchez for your boys. Suddenly Rachelle appeared, with a wooden cane, felled two of the moonshiners by smashing their knees, the other man ran away. The two lay on the ground and trying to regain their balance. ‘Run you fools.” She yelled at the soldiers. She continued with the cane, cracking ones skull and hitting the other in his good knee. “You get down the road before I light in on you!” She yelled at Dudley. “Don’t kill them.” Dudley yelled back. The book details when Dudley was wounded during a conflict. “You better just drop that gun.” Dudley said to him.” The Yankee said. “I’m not going to no rebel prison to starve and die so I’ll take my chances right here and now.” But his words faded out as three shots rang out. The Yankee’s head dropped and he rolled into a swampy mud hole. Dudley was preparing to take a second shot when Cpl Hopewell stepped from behind a tree. Dudley noticed a pain in his stomach , he saw red blood! The pain hit him like a hammer, failing in sight, and in leg strength he went to his knees. “Wait Cpl, I think I’m shot!” Cpl Hopewell came back to Dudley and helped him lie down. “Don’t leave me to them bastards," Dudley yelled. Cpl Hopewell looked at the wound and said. "Lean him against that elm tree, give him a canteen and let’s move out.” Yankees surround him, some saying shoot him out his misery, others for their doctor to look at him. The doctor said he would live, and ordered him placed on a horse. Dudley passed out. The Union Prison was located near Alexandria LA. In March 1863, a Yankee Gunboat names “Diana” was captured by the 28th but subsequently lost leading to Dudley’s capture near Camp Bisland, at Patterson Louisiana. The food was terrible, slop, not fit for his hogs, He thought. He was expected to sleep on the ground. Rachelle came to him during these hours. Blood, sweat, bad flesh, and foot odor from wet boots filled the room. They were removed once a day to relieve themselves and cleanse our nostrils of the dying and rotting flesh. Many wounded in mind and body. Jake from Mississippi had a fresh rifle wound on his upper back. They had given him bandages made of dirty rags and some Sulphur salve with some honey for the wound. The damaged area oozed yellow puss and the Sulphur stung him. He yelled out! Dudley survived with the help of Rachelle.

Jimmy Earl Cooley was and employee of NASA/GSFC as a Space Scientists/Engineer developing space flight mass spectrometer instruments that measured Planetary Atmospheric gas composition plus overseeing the development of satellites spacecraft to measure incoming gamma rays into the earth’s atmosphere. Mass Spectrometer measurements were made of the Venus and Jupiter atmospheres and gamma rays emitting from the universe to the earth. He retired in 1992. He has done extensive genealogy paper research and DNA studies on his family resulting in two eBooks; “Little Berry Cooley” and one on Short Stories. The author's time at NASA with his background, experience and training helped to decipher and interpret the LSB chapters, similar to developing instruments to study Planetary Atmospheric composition and gamma rays - emitting from dark holes and other areas in the universe. Details of the births, deaths, and marriages of the Sanders family recordings were analyzed like the research discipline, analysis, and interpretation of recorded data from instrument flight data from earth and distant planets. He summarizes how Dudley enlisted, fought, wounded, became a POW, and was paroled in the CW, and died within 10 years. After retirement the author and his wife moved to Louisiana. and become farmers, raising vegetables, flowers, muscadine grapes, blueberries, peaches, and beekeepers. Their dog “Chance, enjoys the walks in the woods and the training he receives from my wife. My genealogy research and DNA studies have traced our family back to John Cooley who fought in the Revolutionary War from South Carolina. The DNA studies also traced the Cooley family to the “Clan Colla” in Ireland from 300 AD (Family Tree DNA). He is a volunteer with the LSU and University MD Master Gardener programs. He enjoys photographing the plants and wildlife around their 40 acre farm and darkroom operations. His personal achievements include: College Degree in EE and physics, employee of NASA/GSFC, volunteer fireman, private pilot, photographer, genealogy and DNA studies, Amateur Radio Operator , Master Gardener, author, farmer, artist, and beekeeper. His wife enjoys the outdoors, growing flowers, training and grooming Chance, visiting friends, Cajun food, and is an avid quilter, having won ribbons at the local Beauregard Parish Fair. She is a loyal, loving wife, special companion and friend and takes loving care of our health and well-being as we move into our senior years.