JAR OF GROUND CORN FROM A TEXAS CONFEDERATE PRISON CAMP KEPT BY A 26TH INDIANA SOLDIER, WITH PROVENANCE

$950.00

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Item Code: 224-498

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This item is an old 1920’s to 1940’s jar of KRAFT KITCHEN FRESH MAYONAISE PRODUCTS that meas. approx. 3.00 inches high by 2.00 across. The jar is a third of the way filled with ground corn with an old typed label done in red ink that reads “GRIST MILLED CORN ANDERSONVILLE PRISON LOUISIANA 1864 ANDREW McCLURE GREAT GRANDFATHER.” As will be seen shortly the writer of the label was in error as to the prison and its location.

With the jar are two very old pieces of woven cloth that look to be torn from a Civil War period blanket. Each piece has rough edges and each meas. approx. 6.00 x 6.50 inches.

With the items are two undated notes written in modern ink which look to date from the 1970’s or 80’s. The two notes are stapled together. The top one reads:

“HELLO, I FOUND THIS AFTER YOU LEFT (EVEN WROTE DOWN WHAT ELSE SOLD THE DAY WE BOUGHT THE CORN GRIST.)” It is signed by the previous owner with their address and number.

The second note reads:

“ANDREW MCCLURE LIVED IN SILVER LAKE, INDIANA. HE WAS IN ANDERSONVILLE PRISON FOR A YEAR, AND DIED OF A MALADY CONTRACTED THERE AFTER HE RETURNED HOME AT THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR. AT THE SALE WHERE THIS WAS PURCHASED THEY SOLD A SMALL BRASS POWDER FLASK W/AN EAGLE; A CANTEEN, A BLEEDER IN ITS OWN CASE; A DAUGARATYPE [sic] OF ANDREW IN UNIFORM W/HIS WIFE; A CHAIN THAT SECURED A SWORD, AND THREE PIECES OF SCRIPT ISSUED IN KOSCIOSKO COUNTY, INDIANA WHICH WERE INTEREST BEARING NOTES TO HELP FAMILIES OF SOLDIERS. ANDREW E. McCLURE, SILVER LAKE, INDIANA, 8-30-61 / 9-21-64, CO. A. 26TH IND. INF.”

The following information was gleaned from Andrew McClure’s obituary and online records.

McClure was born in Ontario, New York August 26, 1841. At the age of three his family moved to Kosciusko County, Indiana.

At age 19 McClure enlisted as a private in Company A, 26th Indiana Infantry at Silver Lake on August 30, 1861. He was wounded in the knee at Prairie Grove and spent 3 months in the hospital.

McClure’s obituary reports that after returning to his regiment he was poisoned by the Rebels at Georgetown, Missouri and never fully recovered. He was captured in September of 1863 at the battle of Morganza, Louisiana and was held as a prisoner for 10 months. He must have been exchanged as his muster out date is September 21, 1864.

It should be mentioned here that the listing of Andersonville as the prison McClure was confined in is clearly a family mistake. The notes were probably written after McClure died and Andersonville was such a well-known prison after the war that his family thought he was confined there. Union prisoners captured at Morganza were actually sent to Camp Ford in Tyler, Texas. In September of 1863 when McClure was captured the prison at Andersonville was not even in existence yet.

After the war McClure married Sarah J. Linn on April 16, 1865. The couple would raise three children.

Andrew McClure died on April 18, 1891 and was buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Silver Lake, Indiana. According to his obituary his last words were “I have nothing to regret, only that I did not live a better Christian.”  [ad][ph:L].

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