Biography:

Thomas A. Graves was born on November 15, 1830. He was the son of Daniel and Sarah Dillon Graves. Around the age of sixteen, Graves ran away to Missouri during the land rush there. Later, he enlisted in the United States Army during the Mexican War. Graves had a strong desire to become a medical doctor, so his brother, Nathaniel, secured his release from the army through purchase. He returned to Mississippi and studied medicine under a local doctor. During this time, Graves married Elizabeth Ann Reiser of Terry, Hinds County, Mississippi, on August 21, 1853, and established a medical practice at Coors (Crystal) Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi. He spent the winter of 1858-1859 in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he attended two Medical Institutes, receiving a medical degree and certificates in surgery and accouchery (childbirth). When the Civil War began, Graves and men from the Crystal Springs area formed a cavalry company known as the Copiah Horse Guards. The company was mustered into service on March 1, 1861, and it became Company B, Fourth Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry. Graves was captain of the company, which later became a part of General Price's Corps.

Folder List:

• Civil War letters (originals and photocopies) of Thomas Graves, October 26, 1861-September 23, 1862, and a letter to Mrs. Sarah G. Miller by James F. Vunkannon, surveyor, DeSoto County, Mississippi (original and photocopy), September 24, 1917 (folders 1-2)
• Sketch of the movements of the Missouri Brigades, General Sterling Price's Division, from their formation on December 2, 1861, near Osceola, Missouri, until the parole of the survivors at Jackson on May 12, 1865 (folder 3)
• Background information on Thomas A. Graves (folder 4)
• Copiah Horse Guards muster roll (photocopy), March 1, 1861 (folder 5)
• Three diplomas (originals and photocopies) belonging to Thomas A. Graves, February 3, 1859