I remember at a very early age, perhaps nine or ten years old, my grandmother (Mrs. Florence H McGinnis -- Memphis, TN) revealed to me something that was quite a treasure to her. It was stored in an old weathered box that one wouldn’t associate with anything of any value being stored in it, save some old mementos. 

She gently opened the lid as if it were some fragile item to be handled with great care. She removed what at first appeared to be a rather musty old western styled hat with one side pinned up and showed it to me. Of course, at that age, musty old hats weren’t of any interest to me so I kind of nodded an approval. 

I do remember noticing a tarnished 'star' on the pinned side of the hat, but didn’t think much about it except that there was just enough of a silver glint left to indicate that at one time it must have been a real shiny silver star. 

Anyway, imagine my surprise and excitement when she then brought out a matched set of pistols still in the holsters with a large belt buckle with strange initials -- CSA. 

I was just old enough to know what pistols were from having played many hours of Cowboys and Indians and really enjoyed seeing real ‘live’ pistols. My eyes must have been as big as steely marbles.

I remember thinking how really large those pistols were and wondered how a person could ever pick up those heavy things? My grandmother struggled just to hold them up for me to get a good look at them. Being as I was quite young, she didn’t allow me to handle them, but I sure admired them from afar.

As best as I can remember, she told me that they had belonged to my great grandfather (John M. McGinnis) and that someday I might have them – when I was old enough to appreciate them. 

There were other things in the box like Confederate money, medals, odds and ends of metallic items of which I was too young to know or understand their importance.

I have often thought of that day many, many times and wished the day had come to receive those items, but it wasn’t to be. 

Some years later, her house was burglarized and all the items that were in that magical box were taken – yes, every last item! Besides a very large sum of silver dollars, those were the only things that were stolen. None of the jewelry or other valuable things were touched in her house and the house was not broken into. Some of the family members felt it was an inside job by other family members, but no one will ever know.

Now, my grandmother has passed on and I can only imagine the stories that she could have revealed to me about my great grandfather that would have mesmerized me and delighted my unshakable admiration and thirst for knowledge of those times – especially of my great grandfather’s endeavors. 

I am now old enough and wise enough to have treasured those items.

As for me personally, I guess I’m a pretty lucky guy. My grandfather (Walker K. McGinnis) was the last of the nine children born to John M. and Carrie McGinnis and had the war taken any other course of action with my great grandfather – I wouldn’t be here writing about this patriotic man. 

Of course, that’s another story.

James E. Carey II