I'm looking to confirm or refute the following quote from a cousin pertaining to a Family Story:

"It seems that most of our Mo ancestors were a part of the Confederate army. I am told that my GG grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Cooley was a Cpt in General Price's unit in Mo during the Civil War. However, I can find nothing to prove it. There must be some kind of story with it as her first husband supposedly was killed by bushwhackers. She married my gg grandfather, George Washington Heifner but I have been unable to unravel the Civil War part of her life. Her first husband, I think was a Knight but even that is not confirmed.
Sarah's father, William and two brothers were also in the Confederate Army. One brother died.

I believe General Price was a neighbor to the William Cooley family. Great Grandma Gipson never mentioned her mother being a Cpt in the Civil War but now I am wondering if it was something hidden from the public. In the 1880 census, only Sarah's initials were used, not her name which seems strange.
I recently inherited Cpt. Sarah's sewing machine which I am very proud to care for.

Apparently, in the Macon County area, there were families or people on both sides and many family split on which side to trust or serve. I've also read that some actually served on the Union side after serving on the Confederate side because they were concerned about retaliation afterwards. Good luck in your research. I would love to learn more about my Cooley family during the Civil War. I know that some of the family serving actually died with smallpox and other horrid diseases during the war, on some of the long marches. Many were buried beside the roads."