Second Corporal Jeff (Smiley) Henderson

I was born to Tony and Shirley Henderson on December 24, 1845 outside of Crooked Creek Valley Ark. Where we lived with my Uncle and his family. My sister always called me smiley and the name stuck. It was the cause of more scrapen then I care to tell. We farmed the land and I learned to track and hunt from my paw who was a trapper, I got my schoolen from my maw and aunt they taught me how to read and write. We moved to the Indian tatories when I was 13. I learned at a young age to aim small and miss small and to make every shot count. I joined up in the 16^th with my paw after we learned of that Lincoln feller everbuddy was makin a fus about was wanten to start a war with us country boys, then the yanks killed my Uncle and his family for no reason but they were there, so that just made me even more mad. My maw don’t like the ideal of me going to fight but someone has to look after my paw, my sister could go, she could talk the blue boys to death or my little brother could go but he’s half the size of the rifle, so I guess its me. I don’t like the war but I hate the Yanks more, I didn’t start this war, but I aim to see it through to the end. I may just be a young man but I’m ready to fight to the death for the C.S.

Prv. Jeff Henderson 16^th Ark. Co. G long live the C.S.A.