Carla --

Just so people who know more about Mississippi could comment, your post should have gone on the Mississippi in the Civil War Message Board. This is the Alabama message board, but will will help as best we know how. Also, so other people will know what this is about, subject has been titled, "Groomes of Vicksburg MS".

The family account you posted contains quite a number of errors. We can see that all four Groome sons lived after 1900, so some of this must have been handed down from them to their children and grandchildren. Can't tell if stories got confused a long time ago or recently. It's also interesting what your post didn't mention - that three of the Groome men served under General Nathan Bedford Forrest, perhaps the best cavalry leader in the Confederacy.

The four sons belonged to the family of James and Elizabeth Groome, who came to America from London, England in 1850. Evidently they arrived in New Orleans and may have lived in Memphis TN for a time. Richard Groome was born in Tennessee about 1852. The family came to Vicksburg (Warren County MS) a few years later.

When the war began, Thomas Groome placed his name on roll with a company called the "Vicksburg Sharpshooters". Evidently he changed his mind and remained at home. The company roll says he deserted on May 8, 1861, just before his company entered Confederate service. It was assigned to duty with the 12th Mississippi Regiment.

On Feb 25, 1862, Collin B Buckner of Vicksburg organized a cavalry company called the "Buckner Light Horse". Buckner and his men formed Co "C", 28th Mississippi Regiment, serving as cavalry. The regiment was never dismounted as some were. Dismounted cavalrymen nearly always resented loss of their horses, just as you wrote. However, except when fighting on foot by choice, this regiment served from start to end on horseback.

Three of the Groomes appear on the company's first roll:

Thomas Groome, age 22, horse valued at $150;
Joseph Groome, age 24, horse valued at $150;
William Groome, age 18, horse valued at $250.

On May 1, 1862, John Groome, age 17, joined the company as a bugler. Each company was entitled to have two musicians on roll; this young man became one of them.

Rolls report that each of these four men received 40 cents a day extra pay for use of their own horse. That may not sound like much, but consider that a private in the infantry earned $11.00 a month when he received any pay at all. 40 cents a day could easily double his earnings.

During the regiment's early service in Mississippi, all four Groomes reported sick and unable to be on duty. It may be that all four went home at this time. The roll for December 31, 1862, shows each one absent without leave, but reported since the last muster of the year. Their excuses were received as "valid" and they returned to duty.

John Groome (AKA Jonathan) had serious health issues. Eventually two doctors at Columbus MS determined that he should be discharged due to chronic rheumatism and curvature of the spine. He was sent home before the seige of Vicksburg and must have been there when his father was killed by Federal artillery. John Groome's company records call him a deserter, almost certainly because his medical discharge had not been received.

Joseph Groome became sick and was sent to Lauderdale Springs MS hospital on June 25, 1863. The roll notes that he was "dismounted" on July 1, 1863, probably due to hospitalization and a pressing military need for his horse. After the regiment moved to Georgia in May 1864, he was still reported as dismounted, serving as a guard at Marietta GA. Each cavalry regiment had a number of dismounted men because there were never enough good horses for the men on duty. He finished the war with his command, so Joseph Groome must have found another horse.

On May 21, 1864, Thomas Groome received a jacket, pants and drawers while at Selma AL. He had been placed under arrest on Apr 29, 1864 for reasons unknown, and must have been away from his regiment at this time. He was later reported as absent without leave since Aug 24, 1864, but returned to service to be wounded during the desperate winter campaign in Tennessee.

Apart from being sick from time to time, William Groome's service file does not contain the same kind of entries. Instead, we learn that on Dec 24-25. 1864, he was captured near Pulaski TN during the retreat from Nashville. As part of General Forrest's command, the 28th Mississippi formed the rear guard of the defeated Army of Tennessee. William Groome was taken to Nashville, placed on a boxcar with other Confederate prisoners, and sent to Louisville KY. From there William Groome was sent to prison at Rock Island IL. You can read about this prison in the recent book, Rebels at Rock Island. William Groome was one of thousands of prisoners held there.

William Groome was released from Rock Island on May 26, 1865. His signed parole describes him as having "fresh" complexion, light hair and blue eyes, 5 feet 9-1/2 inches tall, age 21. Meanwhile brothers Joseph and Thomas Groome surrended with General Forrest at Gainesville AL, May 12, 1865. William also appears on the final roll even though he was still in prison. Due to losses their company had been consoldiated with Company "I", also formed of men from Warren County MS.

Here are the errors in your story --

1) Robert is not one of the four brothers. There was a brother named Richard who was too young to serve. You left out brother Thomas Groome.
2) Northern ships did not enter Vicksburg until the surrender on July 4, 1863. Ancestry records give the father's date of death as May 28th.
3) The 28th Mississippi never went to Memphis. The city surrendered to Northern forces in the Spring of 1862, and remained in Federal control until 1865.
4) The 28th Missisippi served in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, not the northeast. The regiment never came any nearer to Maryland than Atlanta GA.
5) In 1872 Grover Cleveland was a young attorney from Buffalo NY who dreamed of a political career. Later he served two terms as President of the United States (1885-1889 and 1893-1897). I don't know if he was in office when William Groome was appoined postmaster at Vicksburg.
6) As previously mentioned, the 28th Mississippi was never dismounted or dissolved. Someone else must have become angry about being dismounted or dissolved; not the Groomes.
7) Not sure its'a mistake, but I don't find anyplace that these men used a middle name.

As mentioned in another post, copies of all four service files are available here. You should click in the box at the top of the page.

General Nathan Bedford Forrest, CSA