I'm doing volunteer history work for Simpson County now. I attempted to do something I believe no one has done, and that is a timeline and map of where the raid traveled through the county and what happened at different points. Most of the published history gives a paragraph or two on this point of the raid. However, I was able to find so much more detail and a different account on the raid on Hazlehurst, Mississippi. Apparently Grierson and his cohorts version of the raid through Hazlehurst in Copiah County was over embellished. I also was able to discover some Southern heroes where they had never been before. The 19 year son of William Smith, a Tavern keeper, named Lemuer Smith was able to escape the raiders in Westville, Simpson County, after learning their plans to cross the Pearl River, attack Hazlehurst and escape to Baton Rouge. He somehow swam the Pearl River, during spring floods, avoiding the ferry now under control of the raiders, and out-ride Grierson's men to Hazlehurst and give the alarm. His efforts saved a lot of military property on train cars there, and gave an engineer enough warning to narrowly escape with his train of valuable cargoes from Grierson's advanced unit of 7th Illinois Cavalry.

It has been fun doing this project.