Witness to History (#52Ancestors Week 4)

 #52Ancestors

Week 4 – Witness to History

This pair of pictures was a runner-up for last week’s Favorite Photo, 

but I decided it would work well for this week’s theme.

First, the background.  Several years ago, I had the amazing opportunity to make copies of old family letters (sent to my 3rd-great aunt, Mollie Sneed) that had been carefully saved for over 150 years.  Among them were letters from Mollie’s cousin Conse Hynds, in which he explained to his Confederate cousin his reasons for joining the Union army during the Civil War, where he had served as a Quartermaster Sergeant.  

 The first letter is dated May 25^th, 1865, Pulaski, Tennessee.  It reads, in part:

            At the commencement of this cruel war I took a decided stand against secession for I did not believe it right and could not believe that it would ever prosper and as I could not remain at home in peace, I embraced the first opportunity offered and enlisted in the Federal army in 1862.  My time is nearly out when I hope to return home to dear friends and kind relations never to be again separated from them by civil strife.

            I am in good health.  I have even had as good health in the army or nearly so as I had at home.  Yet a soldier’s life is a hard one and one that does not suit me and I long to see the time when I will not be needed in the army.  I hope yet to see Tenn. take her stand at the head of States and her citizens honored and beloved as in times of yore. . . .

            I hardly know whether we have differed in opinions about this war or not, but think it probable that we have.  If so, I hope we can once more agree “if not in every particular” at least enough to be true relations.  If either have erred, I think we ought to forgive each other and accept things as we find them and unite in a determination to do better in the future.  Uncle William wrote me word that no bad feelings existed with you toward me and I assure you that I have no cause of any enmity for you and I do hope we may soon meet under happier prospects, than I have known since I joined the army. . . .

 Your cousin

Conse H. Hynds

Sergt. Co. “K” 6^th Tenn Cav Vols

Pulaski, Tenn.

Second letter:

Pulaski, Tennessee, June 13^th 1865

            . . . Pa writes that all the family were well and that times were becoming quite peaceably and things being again to assume their old form.  Brother George is at home.  He has taken no active part in this cruel war.  I think he would be glad to hear from you.

            I accept your suggestion to agree to disagree upon the war, at least for the present.  Therefore will say no more about it.

            I am truly tired of being a soldier and long for the time to come when I can return home.  I cannot say when this will be. . . .

 

 Third letter:

At Home

September 7^th 1865

 . . . I will enclose a couple of photographs in this.  I want you to take your choice and give the other to some of the family, or if you prefer it keep them both.  Let me know your choice & what you do with the one you give away (if you do not keep both) also how you like them. . . .

Your cousin,

Conse H. Hynds

A few years later, I had another amazing opportunity, this time to make scans of an old family photo album.  I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. scanning the pictures so that the album could be returned the next day.  As I carefully removed each photo in order to scan both the front and the back, one photo was stuck tight and difficult to remove.  When I finally got it out, I realized why it was such a tight fit – hidden behind it was another photo, unlabeled, of a young man in uniform!

 The piercing eyes looked familiar to me, so I turned back a few pages to compare it to a civilian photo labeled Conse Hynds.  Could this possibly be a Civil War photo of the Union cousin?  I was on a Civil War reenactors email list with some extremely knowledgeable people, so I sent the picture to the list and asked what they could tell me about it (I didn't want to "lead" them by telling them what I thought).  The answer came back very clearly:  this is a Union Cavalry Sergeant.  BINGO!!

Constant Hardeman Hynds enlisted 20 Jul 1862 in Dresden, TN, in 6^th Regiment TN Cavalry US, Company K; was promoted to Quartermaster Sgt on 03 Oct 1862; and mustered out 26 Jul 1865, Pulaski, TN.  He is described in his military records as being 5’ 7” tall, fair complexion, blue eyes, and dark hair.

 I’m guessing that Mollie thought enough of her cousin that she wanted to keep his picture, but considered it unwise to display a Union photo in a Confederate household, so she tucked it behind another one.  It probably had not seen the light of day since it was placed there in the 1860s!