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Re: Henry Benton Shows, 7th Miss. Batt.

Henry Benton Shows, 7th Miss Battalion, was my great- great- great grandfather. I have letters written from him during the summer of 1862, the last of which contain his last will written to his wife (my grandmother) Mary Adeline Shows. His last letter reveals that he was suffering from "fever" (probably typhoid) and desired to come home until he recovered, at which time he planned to return to his unit. He never did make it home, as he died some time (likely) in September, 1862 at or near Camp Saltillo, Mississippi near Corinth. The letters are quite interesting, as he describes life in the battalion, and their location near Corinth. His brother, Bradford Shows, served in the same battalion and survived the war, albeit with one leg. Bradford Shows was paroled after the siege of Vicksburg, re-entered active service, and ended the war in a hospital near Richmond. According to family legend, for years after his return from the war Bradford would go down to the branch behind the house in the evenings and soak the stump of the leg in the spring water. Some family members reportedly said that it never did completely heal, and contributed to his eventual death years after the war.

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Henry Benton Shows, 7th Miss. Batt.
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