La Valle Cemetary

[Spencer Davis]

Tonight I visited the La Valle cemetary and found several interesting things that I thought that I would share.  
First of all I found a Mr. Harrison Lacey that served in Co. K of the 33rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.  
Second, towards the middle of the cemetary there is a cannon mounted on a rock platform that says "GAR Post 49", which I thought was neat.  
Third, I found a grave that said "Captain William Hatheway Co. I U.S.C.H Art."  I was just wondering how many of these colored artillery units there were, or if there is any info out there on them, because I had never even heard of them.  
Then as I was looking at the rest of the Civil War veterans I found one that really cought my attention it said

"Unknown Soldier
     Civil War
Died While in Transit
   Thru La Valle
        1905"

I thought that that was quite interesting and on my free time I am going to look in the local papers for any article about his death.

Quite a productive trip!

Spencer

[Robert Braun]

Spencer... Harrison Lacy was the g. g. grandfather of the late Terry Frazier. Terry, along with Joe Riggs of Allenton PA were among the very first investigators to do serious research into the history of the then-obscure Thirty-third Regiment.

Terry wrote:

My great-great-grandfather served in Co. K of the 33rd, although he was in a measles hospital in Memphis during most of the Vicksburg campaign. His brother fought his way through Mississippi with the 23rd Wis. Vols.

I've often held the opinion that Co. K was the regiment's sort of enfant perdu , a bit of a hodge podge of men thrown in from a variety of regions without a clear town or county affilitation like many of the other companies. Their officers came from all over as well, although they apprached the end of the war commanded by Lt. Daniel Shea--before his promotion to Adjutant. Shea, an affable Irishman from Racine, was an articulate caring fellow. By all accounts, he was a very good offcier, and well-liked by the men. This was a great improvement over the company's earlier leadership, which was singularly unremarkable.

Terry Frazier literally pioneered work on investigating Mississippi sites of import to the Thirty-third, particularly the Vicksburg Campaign and the Merdian Campaign. Details like the actual "third Parallel" dug by the Thirty-third as part of "Lauman's Approach at Vicksburg (I stood in the trnch that is still at least 5 feet deep) and sites lite Terry's plantation and the vicinity of the capture of the foraging party from the Thirty-third in late February, 1864. Even the foray at the pontoon bridge in Madisonville, MS... just a few miles from Terry's residence... broken up and destroyed by the Thirty-third at about the same time the foraging party was captured.
His knowledge of Civil War Mississippi was matched by only a very few people of my acquaintance.

Terry passed away unexpectedly on September 6, 2001 as a result of chronic ailments. His loss was a great shock to we in the Thirty-third who knew him or knew of him. As it turned out, mourning for Terry was cut short by national events five days later.

Hopefully, He and Harrison Lacy have been able to sort out and answer the questions about the Thirty-third that has puzzled us so, as they chat together around the old campfiires at the "Great Bivouac."

We miss Terry... very much.