Hello everyone. I'm Andy McCabe, originally from South Mississippi and now living in Maryland. I'll be honest, I have never been into reenactment of the civil war. I've read extensively on the war, and even served as a volunteer interpretive ranger at Gettysburg.

My biggest connection in finding this site was the fact that my great-great-grandfather (J.Z. Allen) was a member of Company E, 17th SCV. My brother Brian and I at one time started to do a lot of research about both he and other family members in the War (I know another grand-parent was in an artillery battery called the Kanapax battery). After my brother's death 10 years ago I kind of stopped my own research, but finding your site got my attention.

The only thing I really know about J.Z. Allen was that he was captured at Petersburg near the end of the war and was sent to Ft. Deleware. I don't know if he was at 2nd Manassas (where Co. E guarded the supply trains), Sharpsburg, Jackson, the Battle of the Crater or much else. My brother had gathered some additional information before he died, and I hope to find it in all his stuff. I guess my first interest here was in finding people who had a similar background and interest in the Tramp Brigade. I never thought I would see that day.

Brian,
Thanks a lot to you and your kind wife for getting that information for me. I just sent a copy of it to my aunt and will mail one to my father in the hopes that it will rekindle some stories that I can share.

I'll post the document you sent me about my ancestor on the people forum.

You and your wife have made my day!
Andy