Military Record of Oliver Crosby Gray

***********************************************************
Submitted by: Bill Bogges <billboggess@webtv.net>
        Date: 22 Feb 2006
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
***********************************************************

Miscellenious

Coincidences have always tantalized my mind, this one even more so than most.

Sunday, 17 July 1864, with Confederates trying to hang on to rail center of Atlanta,
the Federals trying to jerk it out of their hands because its their main rail
center, ---- this date is date Jefferson Davis relieved General Joseph Eggleston
Johnston, age 57, from command of the Confederate forces, replaced with General John
Bell Hood, age 33, to ward off General William Tecumseh Sherman, age 44 ---- also
being the Sunday Captain Oliver Crosby Gray, age 32, prepares his letter of request
to resign the Army so to join the Navy. Oddly enough it also is date of diary entry
by Oliver's wife, Virginia Davis Gray in her 1863-1865 published diary of 1983 in
Arkansas Historical Quarterly's spring and summer issue, to wit: "Remained at home
yesterday --- and made a sketch (possibly Arkansas History Commission's #3249??) of
Court House for Dr Die(sic, Dr Henry Montgomery Dye (1830VA-1878TX)). Was quite
scared when I heard that it had to go to Richmond....." Dallas County Court House
used as hospital after Jenkins Ferry Battle, 30 Apr 1864.

Captain Oliver Crosby Gray (1832ME-1905AR), commander of A Company, 3rd Regiment
Arkansas Cavalry, assigned as Provost Marshall late 1863 By General Frank Crawford
Armstrong, submitted his letter of request to resign to Adjutant General Samuel
Cooper at Richmond, dated (Sunday) 17 July 1864, from Sandtown, GA. (Samuel Cooper,
Jr., ranking general of the CSA, was the son of a Revolutionary officer from
Massachusetts. He was born in New Jersey and appointed to West Point from New York.
His wife was the granddaughter of the Virginia Revolutionary statesman George
Mason(1725-1792). Her brother was the Confederate minister to Great Britain, James
M. Mason. George Mason was a fellow vesteryman, neighbor across Pohick Creek at the
Potomic, used our 4th great grandfather Robert Boggess' (1707-1773) horse race track
and he or his famiy were always in court with Robert).

Oliver lists four reasons he could better serve the Confederacy by leaving the Army
and joining with its Navy. His superiors gave their approvals, same date, which also
is when General Joseph Eggleston Johnston was relieved from command of the Army of
Tennessee.

General Hood's approval was dated 18 July 1864, same date he received instructions
from Richmond to take command of the Army of Tennessee.

Records show Oliver "resigned" 19 Aug 1864, 13 days before General Hood removed all
troops from Atlanta, handing it to the Federals and General William Tecumseh "Cump"
Sherman.

Oliver was captured by Federal troops at Choctaw Bend, MS, 19 Nov 1864, imprisoned
at Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island (Camp Townsend ?), off Biloxi, MS coastline,
then exchanged three and one-half months later, 2 Mar 1865, as Captain 3rd Regiment
Arkansas Cavalry. --- How can this be, --- he "resigned" from the Army 19 Aug 1864,
three months before his capture??? which was 11 days before Gen Hood's massive
deadly battle at Franklin, TN.

Here is a list of dead, I could not find a list of all those held on Ship Island.
http://www.geocities.com/samdavis596/ShipIsland.htm