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In the last days of the Confederacy, effective governance of the state virtually ceased as Union troops moved through the state with little or no opposition in early 1865. Local and county government in the state ceased to exist in many areas, and whole regions of the state were infested with outlaws, deserters, and thieves. On March 7, 1865, a headline in the Cleveland Daily Leader (Ohio) proclaimed: TERRIBLE CONDITION OF AFFAIRS IN MISSISSIPPI - THE COUNTRY OVERRUN WITH ROBBERS. The article went on to state that "Affairs on the border are in a terrible condition, the country being filled with jayhawkers and robbers, composed principally of deserters, whose deeds rival the famous days of Dick Turpin, and such a reign of terror has been inaugurated that travel is almost completely broken up in some parts of the country."
After the war ended, conditions in Mississippi only got worse, as the state was flooded with discharged Confederate soldiers returning to their homes. Most were simply trying to get safely back to their families, but there were enough desperate men willing to rob or kill for food, money, or transportation that traveling alone was something to be avoided if possible. One group of Mississippians in Copiah County decided to immigrate to Texas in September 1865, and they advertised in the local newspaper seeking others to join their caravan for mutual safety. Their ad proclaimed that "It is said that portions of country through which the party will pass are infested with outlaws and thieves, therefore the party desires to be increased to 8 or 10 families. This will not only secure the protection of each family but will be of marked advantage in many respects."
(The Daily Mississippian, September 10, 1865)
Some of the outlaws preying on travelers in Mississippi were so bold as to attack Union soldiers. In August 1865, a Vicksburg newspaper reported: "MORE GUERRILLA OUTRAGES - TWO COURIERS PROBABLY KILLED - Two couriers of the 52nd U.S.C.I., [United States Colored Infantry] left Baker's Creek, with dispatches for Black River yesterday morning, and have not been heard from since. It is supposed that they were killed and their horses confiscated by the outlaws in that vicinity. A party of jayhawkers congregated about three miles from Bolton and went toward Clinton, plundering and robbing everything they met on the way." (Vicksburg Journal, August 20, 1865) Eleven days later the newspaper reported that the corpse of a courier from the 52nd regiment had been found near Edwards, and that "The body was so badly mutilated by the hogs as to be beyond recognition." (Vicksburg Journal, August 31, 1865)
With conditions in Mississippi so unsettled in the fall of 1865, the simple act of meeting a stranger on the road could be a fearsome experience, as you never knew if the person meant to rob you or worse. A good example of how tense these situations could be is found in this letter sent to Mississippi's provisional Governor William L. Sharkey:
Rodney, Miss., Sept. 24, 1865
To His Excellency,
Wm. L. Sharkey
Sir,
The undersigned would most respectfully beg leave to submit for your consideration and action the
following statement of facts to wit: James Smith of the 3rd Texas Regt. of Cavalry, Ross’s Brigade paroled and on his way home, was on the 23rd inst., met on the road near this place by Lieut. Lahme comdg. detachment U.S. forces, and a citizen of this county named Clifton.
Said Smith was riding a horse bearing the U.S. brand, and wearing an army pistol. He was ordered by the Lieut., to dismount and give up his horse & arms, which he refused to do, as he says that the Lieut., was not dressed in the U.S. uniform nor had any mark or emblem about him by which he could identified as belonging to U.S. army & he supposing them to be robbers, drew his pistol & told them to leave him, which they did.
Smith then came on into town and was arrested by Lieut. Lahme, and all his money and other effects taken from him. Smith states that the horse which he was riding was in his possession at the time of the surrender & that he came through Jackson & other garrisoned places with him without being molested and was not expecting to be interfered with by any U.S. troops. Smith also states that he was delayed on the way home by sickness for two or three months. This statement is made and forwarded to you by request of the prisoner who prays that you will take some steps to have him released from custody and that his personal effects be restored to him.
Very Respectfully,
Your Obt. Servt.,
J.S. Vaughan
The back side of the letter had the following report from Union authorities attached to it:
Respectfully referred to Bvt. Maj. Gen’l J.W. Davidson, comd’g. South’n Dist., of Miss., for investigation and report.
Osterhaus
Respectfully referred to Maj. Geo. D. Reynolds, Prov. Mar. S. Dist., of Miss., for report.
By order of Brevet Maj. Gen’l J.W. Davidson
Office Prov. Marshal
South’n Dist. Miss.
Natchez, Miss., Oct. 6, ‘65
Respectfully returned. The within named James Smith was arrested under very suspicious circumstances by Lieut. Lahme, comdg., at Rodney. After investigation of the affair, Lt. Lahme released Smith, but retained his horse, as it was branded U.S., his pistol, marked with the name of an officer in our service, & forty one dollars in money, which Smith offered as a bribe to his guards if they would release him.
The matter was undergoing investigation here, when Smith disappeared. The money, horse, and pistol are now in my possession, awaiting his claim.
Geo. D. Reynolds
Maj. And Prov. Marshal
South’n Dist. Miss.
[Series 771, Box 956, Folder 10, Mississippi Department of Archives and History]
I could not find any additional information about this incident, and I assume that after being released James Smith wrote off his horse, pistol, and money as a lost cause and headed for Texas as fast as his feet would carry him. All in all, the chance encounter between James Smith and William Lahme could have turned out much, much worse, and it is fortunate that no one ended up injured or dead. Both men were combat veterans and if Lieutenant Lahme had decided to force the issue instead of wisely backing down and leaving, its hard to see how the situation would not have turned violent.
I can see why Lahme would have been suspicious of Smith, who was riding a U.S. marked horse, but it was very common for Confederate cavalrymen to take captured enemy steeds for their own use. Smith could also have acquired the pistol marked with the name of a U.S. officer in the same way, as again it was a common practice for Confederates to pick up discarded Union weapons from the battlefield. Given the lawless state of the country he was passing through, Smith may very well have felt in danger of his life from the two men who stopped him on the road to Rodney.
It is also possible that James Smith was desperate to get home and was not above robbing civilians to make that happen. There simply is no well to tell what his true motivations were with the limited amount of information available. What is certain is this; if not for one tattered letter in the correspondence of Governor William L. Sharkey, this small incident at the end of a big war would not be remembered at all.