Pvt. Richard Azar "Wright Finley"

BIO OF WRIGHT FINLEY AZAR

I was born 13th March 1840 in New Orleans La.My father was a seafaring man,and my mother was the favorite daughter of the Grand Poopaw of The Knights Of The Mystic Sea Lebanese Lodge in New Orleans.After getting my mother pregnant a second time,he left for the seas,never to be heard from again.I grew up on my own in the back streets of New Orleans,and would most likely would have become a criminal if n0t for the intervention of one Mr. Bartholomew Ebenezer.The first time I saw him he looked like a chicken,as he was covered with black goo and white feathers.It seems his fellow river boat gamblers did not like it that he had 7 queens and 5 aces in his deck of cards.I took him home,and my mother cleaned him up.To show his gratitude he took me under his wing,and told my mother he would teach me how to make a gentlemans living.I learned how to deal off the bottom of the deck,load dice,and lie like a dog,but my favorite flim-flam,I mean business venture was pretending to be a crippled boy in a crowd that Mr.bartholomew was hawking his elixir of lizard oil linament to.I would drink the elixer and become cured of my affliction.Then we would skedaddle out of town after selling all the elixer,and before the people sobered up.

On some occasions we were recognized,and I will not forger the first time I was tarred and featherd.Ebenezer said that was the hazards of doing business.Years later Mr Ebenezer met a gypsy woman,fell in love,married her,and left me the entire business.I set out to make my fortune by expanding the line with new elixir's for various ailments,buying a new top hat and double pleated suit with tails,and was doing quite well on my own.One day while in Arkansas I heard of rumors of war,so I headed for Fayetteville where I figured there was money to be made off of soldiers and civilians there.Well,some hayseed there drank a bottle of horse linament,and almost died.The crowd got right unruly,and started to tear down my set up.When they started yelling to get a rope I skedaddled through town as fast as I could.I saw a soup line,so I jumped in line to hide and get a bowl of soup.After signing my name for what I thought was a bowl of soup,it turned out to be enlistment line for joining the 16th Ark Infantry Regiment C.S.A.I tried protesting that I thought it was a soup line,but some big man in a gray coat with stripes on the sleeve said"the only soup your going to get is what I kick out of you personally".About that time the unruly crowd that was chasing me came around the corner and spottin me said they were going to lynch me.The man in the gray coat told the crowd they couldn't have me,and with a cynical smile on my face i breathed a sigh of relief..He told them I had joine the Confederate army,and I was willing to give my life for them and their rights as southerners.Well,I fainted right there.

Next thing I knew they took away my top hat and suit.They put me in a gray dull jacket with bugs in it called graybacks,ugly butternut pants and ugly black brogans.I endured salty pig meat and stale corn pone cakes,and men with stripes on their sleeves yelling at me to be proud of the chance to kill invading blue bellies,and willing to give my life for the cause.

ALL THIS JUST BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A GENTLEMANS HONEST LIVING AS I KNEW IT.