Second Lieutenant Erik McBroom "Dandy"

2LT. Christopher Erik McBroom

"Dandy"

I was born in New Orleans on May 20, 1841 to Alexander and Felicite Angelique (de Lezay) McBroom. My father was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina and had come out west with his brother, James, to seek fortune and adventure. In the 1830’s he enlisted in the 2^nd Regiment U.S. Dragoons serving with Jefferson Davis and was stationed at Ft. Gibson on the frontier. After resigning the commission of a 2^nd Lieutenant at Ft. Jesup, Louisiana, he traveled to New Orleans and became acquainted with Angelique de Lezay, daughter of the prominent De Lezay family.

Louis de Lezay (my great-grandfather) came from La Rochelle, France to the island of Saint Domingue in the Caribbean where he became a wealthy planter. The De Lezay family fled Saint Domingue in 1791 to Jamaica after the slave revolt. They settled in New Orleans in 1792. The De Lezays resented my "Protestant" and "Gaunchy American" father, but against their wishes my parents were wed in 1840. During the first year of my birth we resided with my grandparents, Jean Etienne and Celestine (Bouligny) de Lezay, on Bayou St. John in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. Eventually, my grandfather grew admiration for my father and offered him a position in

 Louis de Lezay ca. 1795

his cotton business. My father later gained a proficient reputation as a local cotton broker and in 1843 he decided to take his experience to St. Louis, Missouri. We lived in St. Louis for four years while my father established a small firm. In 1847 Adolph Sinclair, a hot headed, Dutch immigrant, had called my father a "thief and a scoundrel" in front of him and his associates at a political meeting. After my father dismissed the remarks as unbecoming of a gentleman, Sinclair then called him a "damned democrat bastard". My father killed Sinclair in a duel. Soon after, politics and the duel hurt my father’s reputation and he bought land on the Mississippi near the river town of Helena, Arkansas where we relocated in 1848. By know I had a brother, James Knox Polk McBroom and a sister, Desiree. Our home was built upon this land with the façade towards the Mississippi. We had many slaves, both house and field workers who still loyally attend the crops. My father became acquainted with local planters on his travels to Little Rock and Jackson, Mississippi. The Listers, Johnstons, and Tuiders are to name a few. T.J. Lister of Mississippi and my father owned and operated the Lister & McBroom Slave Auction in Helena until the Lister family, who had resided in Mississippi since before the Mexican War, moved

McBroom Plantation ca. 1860

to Washington County, Arkansas. Throughout the 1850’s, Desiree, James and I, had a teacher who taught us literature and penmanship. In 1858, my father campaigned and was elected mayor of Helena. Seeing the imminent conflict for Southern independence approaching, and against my mothers’ wishes, father, obtained appointments for James and I to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. On April 29, 1859 we left home and the Helena levee for St. Louis to board a train en-route to New York. James, my fathers’ favorite, was perfect for the strict standards at West Point. I received 20 demerits my first week from fighting with a lanky, Iowan farmer’s son to "absent from barracks after taps." In 1860 I was expelled from the Academy after singing Dixie and leading an "insurrection in the mess hall" upon hearing news of the secession of South Carolina. I was so jubilant to be back home again and the sweet Mississippi breezes welcomed my arrival. I was hoping to go riding and maybe do some hunting with my friend, Nathan and some of the other fellows, but father wanted me to accompany him on a trip to Little Rock. While there I made the acquaintances of many of my father’s friends and business partners, namely, James R. Lister and John G. Fletcher of the Capitol Guards who were drilling the militia for service. My father received and immediately accepted an invitation to the Arkansas Secession Convention on March 4, 1861. We remained in the capitol city to attend the convention, which had drawn quite a crowd of planters, farmers and even a few Indians from the territory. Mr. Lister spoke with my father about forming a unit for defense of the State. My father was flattered and excited of such an invitation, but his health and business back home retained him from lending physical assistance. However, my father was able to attain a supply of converted smoothbores from an arsenal in St. Louis. News eventually began circulating about General Price’s victory at Lexington, Missouri in the Battle of Hemp Bales, which peeked my resolve to enlist immediately. Lister lived near Washington County, Ark., which is where the new unit was training and excited to join I bade farewell to my family and adieu to my lass. I rode along Morgan’s Freight Wagons to Little Rock and boarded a steamer ‘The Pocahontas" on the Arkansas River to Ft. Smith. Ft. Smith was an active place of Indians, cavalrymen, and militia. The banner of the Confederacy floated gracefully and could be seen visibly, within distance, before my arrival on October 30^th. One could hardly do anything there except enlist in the army, board another steamer, or take the stage. I decided to partake in the latter, and took the overland stage en-route to Fayetteville. Alive with military activity, the rowdy sort, and a few prosperous dwellings, Fayetteville, seemed to mix those from all walks of life, uniting them all with patriotic ferver. Obscurely un-organized bands of men, from planters to the hill people, were assembling for revolution. I found Mr. Lister’s command at the Court House, and was sworn into service. I was given a complementary week for preparation, but had made my arrangements and paid all debts. I enlisted on November 5^th and met my company comrades, who represented Arkansas "Deep and Wide". A few aristocrats could be found, but the bulk of our company were: Outlaws, Moonshiners, Farmers, Mountain Men and even an escapee from Leavenworth military prison!