Last year I began to note every book I was aware of on Confed regiments. The ones listed below pertain to the 44th AL. I assume your also aware of the first title on the 4th ME.

"Into the Valley of Death: The Story of the 4th Maine Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863", by Pete Dalton.

"The Devils Den: A History of the 44th Alabama Volunteer Infantry 1862-1865", by Charles R. Boyd, 150+ pages, roster, photos, cloth. [R-1987] Moringside 5/96.........$26.95

"The War Between the Union and the Confederacy and it's Lost Opportunities: With a History of the 15th Alabama Regiment and the Battles in Which it Fought", by Colonel William Calvin Oates, (also brief sketches of the 4th, 44th, and 48th Alabama), 808 pages, cloth [1905,R] McGowan 5/96.................................$45.00

Law's Brigade: "Law's Alabama Brigade in the War Between the Union and the Confederacy", by Morris Penny and Gary Laine, 1996 (1st), 458 pages, illustrated, about the 5 AL regiments (4th, 15th, 44th, 47th, 48th). Scholars 1/97........$37.50Esteemed member Iverson

contributes: I have before me a newspaper clipping from a February? 1900 edition of a Centreville, Alabama newspaper, in which a veteran of the 44th Alabama, Judge John S. Gardner, offers to return the sword of Captain George Davis of the 4th Maine. Seems that after the fight at the Devil's Den, Gardner and his men bagged Davis, 3 Lieutenants and 29 men who were caught "under a rock" (surely a ledge?). Indeed a whole gang of men from Davis' Co. F were captured and Davis did a stretch in Libby Prison. Don't know yet whether Davis got his sword back. At the time the article was written the sword was scheduled to "be sent to the Alabama State Fair and placed among the curiosities on exhibition." Does anyone have access to records, regimental history, etc. of the 44th, who could fill out the story of the capture in the Devil's Den a little more? Gardiner was supposed to have been 1st Lieutenant, Co. H. I hope he isn't another hoax like our fake Lt. Colonel Williams! Since I have no kiddies and no bootees I have nothing to contribute to the current discussion, so this will have to do. :} Sylvia