Mrs. Maud M McClure
San Antonio, TX

My dear Daughter,

In accordance with your request, I will give you some of my genealogical record. If I could have found a certain book in which I have a full record reaching back to before the Revolutionary War, it would have been more complete and satisfactory. I may, however, find that record soon.

The Hixson family in England dates from the Norman Invasion and are supposed to be of the Norman stock, which was that of Northern France and part of Germany. The first Hixsons in the United States came from England and settled in New Jersey. My great-grandfather Hixson has seven sons, one of whom, Levi Hixson, was my grandfather. He, being a loyalist, went to Canada at the breaking out of the Revolutionary War. There he married a daughter of Jacob Beam, the founder of Beamsville, on the North Side of Lake Ontario. My father was on of their children and was born in Canada. My father married Anna Wallace who was born in the State of New York. They had four children, all boys, Joseph, Hamilton, Levi, and William. Hamilton died at Aurora, Indiana, about 1840; Levi died in Stone County, Mo. in 1862; William lives in Baxter Co., Ark; and I, the oldest, am writing these lines in Stone County, Ark., at the age of 62 years, having been born August 4, 1835.

When I find my mislaid genealogical record, I will write out a better statement.

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Joseph Hixson, born August 4, 1835 Married May 12, 1872
Mary Nelson, born April 29, 1851

Children
Maud Mary, born February 22, 1873 Lola Agnes, born March 3, 1874, died October 24, 1874
Zelda Elizabeth, born January 26, 1876, died October 8, 1879
Rosa Josepha, born February 7, 1879
Henry Edward, born October 7, 1883
Nellie Leota, born October 9, 1888

Some of the New Jersey Hixsons remained in the South of the U.S., and are progenitors of all the Hixsons of the Carolinas, Tennessee, and other states.

My father was friendly to the McKenzie Rebellion in Canada in 1837, and after its suppression came to the U.S.

I was born at Hamilton, Ontario, August 4, 1835, came with my father to the U.S. in 1837, lived at Aurora, Indiana from 1837 to 1844 and in Carroll and Livingston Counties, Missouri from 1844 to 1860. In the fall of 1860 I moved to Stone Co., Missouri, and enlisted in the army in 1861, served 4 years, stayed in Mississippi 3 years, and came to Arkansas in 1868. In the late war, I first enlisted in the Missouri State Guard under Gen. Sterling Price, June 28th, 1861, and during that year I as in the following battles:

Dug Springs, August 2, 1861
Oak Hills, August 10, 1861
Fort Scott, September 1861
Dry Wood, September 1861
Lexington, September 12-20. 1861

I re-enlisted, after 6 months service in the state Guard for 3 years or during the war in the Confederate Army -- the Missouri State Guard having all gone into the regular Confederate Service.

After joining the regular Confederate Service, I was only in one more battle west of the Mississippi River, towit: The battle of Elkhorn (called Pea Ridge by the Federals) March 7 and 8, 1862.
Our command then went west across the Mississippi, and was engaged n the following battles:

Corinth (1st battle)
Iuka, September 19, 1862
Corinth (2nd battle) October 3 and 4, 1862

The above were the only engagements of any importance that I was in during the year of 1862. I was with King's (2nd Mo.) Battery in the above battles. This Battery was known as Clark's until he was killed at Elkhorn.

While near Vicksburg, Mississippi, we were attached to Gen. Ross's Brigade (the same who was since Gov. of Texas). The brigade was composed of the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 27th Texas, and the 28th Mississippi, I believe. These same Texans were with us as infantry in the battles of Iuka and Corinth in 1862.

It was while with Gen. Ross that we had a gun-boat fight on the Mississippi River and another on the Yazoo River, also a fight in Benton and another in Yazoo City in which our company had several men wounded.

After the fall of Vicksburg we were in the rear guard and were in a severe fight at Edward's Station, and for 5 days continuously at Jackson. After falling back from Jackson we were in a severe fight at Brandon. The Federals falling back to Vicksburg, we returned to near the Yazoo and were in several small engagements.

In the spring of 1864 we were sent to Georgia, with Frank Armstrong's (Ben McCullough's Old Adjutant Gen.) as our Brigade Commander -- W.H. Jackson, of Tenn., commanding the Division.

We got to Joe Johnson's army at Calhourn, Ga., and were engaged in battle about twice a week all summer.

Soon after Gen Van Dorn's raid on Holly Springs, we were attached to his cavalry command, and sent to Tennessee. Here we were in several engagements, the most important of which was the Battle of Thompson's Station where we captured 2200 Federal infantry. We were in a fight with Ellott's Fleet at the Mouth of Duck River, Tenn., in which the gun to which I belonged had 2 men killed and 3 men wounded out of the 8 canneries. We were also in a serious fight at Franklin, Tenn., in which Forrest's part of the command was worsted.

We then went to Mississippi and were in several small engagements in the rear of Vicksburg, and above and below.

The battles in which I was engaged in 1864, as far as I can remember were: Calhoun, Kingston, Wallas, New Hope, Kenesaw Mountain, and battles around Atlanta, under Gens. J. E. Johnson and J. B. Hood.

After Hood took command we had more fighting for awhile and after the battles of Jonesborough and Lovejoy, Sherman fell back to Atlanta and Hood began his march to Tenn. One this march I was in a fight at Rome, Ga. From Rome, we were sent back to get a new battery, and it so happened I was never in any serious engagements afterwards.

I surrendered with Gen. Forrest's Command at Gainswille, Ga., on the 10th day of May, 1865.