Biography/History:

Elizabeth Augusta Murdock, only child of Abram and Grace A. Murdock, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 25, 1841. A year after her birth, the family moved to Columbus, Lowndes County, Mississippi, where Abram Murdock worked as president of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and also as a merchant.

On June 21, 1860, Elizabeth Augusta Murdock married Dr. William Edmunds Sykes of Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi. The couple divided their time between Aberdeen, Columbus, and their plantation, Riverside, then in Tallahatchie County. The couple had at least two children, James Murdock (b. April 15, 1861) and Willie Edmunds (b. December 9, 1863). When her husband joined the Confederate States Army, Sykes resided with her parents in Columbus and also with her in-laws in Aberdeen. After her husband’s death, Sykes and her children lived in Columbus with her family. In 1870, Sykes married Gideon Warren Cox, formerly of New Jersey. The couple and Augusta’s two children resided in Columbus where Cox was a retail grocer. The Coxes had two children of their own, Grace A. (b. ca. 1874) and Warren M.

Elizabeth Augusta Murdock Sykes Cox was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbus. She was one of the organizers of the local Women’s Christian Temperance Union and served as its president for several years. One of the four “Decoration Ladies of Columbus,” she is credited with suggesting that both Confederate and Union graves in Friendship Cemetery be decorated on Confederate Memorial Day. Elizabeth Augusta Murdock Sykes Cox died on June 15, 1921, and was interred in Friendship Cemetery in Columbus.

William Edmunds Sykes, son of Mary A. Sykes of Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi, was born in Alabama on January 28, 1835. It is not known when he obtained his medical license. On June 21, 1860, Sykes married Elizabeth Augusta Murdock of Columbus. He owned a plantation, Riverside, located near Tuscahoma, then in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. In 1860, his real estate holdings were valued at forty-five thousand dollars.

In July 1861, Sykes was serving as a doctor, probably at a military hospital in Corinth, Alcorn County, Mississippi. He left the hospital after July 19, 1861, and returned home to his family. On November 14, 1861, Sykes was mustered into service as a private in Captain George W. Albert’s Company, Fourth Battalion Calvary, Confederate States Army, in Columbus. He was discharged from the battalion on May 31, 1862. According to official records, Sykes received his commission as a first lieutenant and adjutant of the Forty-third Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, on May 21, 1862.

The regiment was captured in Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi, on July 4, 1863, and was subsequently marched to Enterprise, probably Clarke County, Mississippi. On July 23, 1863, the officers and men were given thirty-day leaves of absence or furloughs as part of their parole. Sykes and his fellow soldiers were stationed in Columbus until their exchange on December 20, 1863. The regiment was active in the Atlanta campaign (May 1-September 8, 1864). William Edmunds Sykes was killed in a battle near Decatur, Morgan County, Alabama, on October 27, 1864. He was interred in Friendship Cemetery in Columbus.

Scope and Content:

This collection consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence of Elizabeth Augusta Murdock Sykes of Columbus, Lowndes County, Mississippi. The majority of the correspondence was written to Sykes by her first husband, Dr. William Edmunds Sykes, of Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi. The letters written in 1859 and 1860 document the couple’s courtship and marriage. Of interest is a February 15, 1860, letter that Sykes wrote to Augusta Murdock. In it, Sykes explains that Murdock’s father has encouraged him to inform her of his future plans and intentions. Sykes details his plans for his plantation in Tallahatchie County and gives his opinions concerning the idea of living in Columbus. Included are letters that Elizabeth Augusta Murdock Sykes wrote to her parents while she was on her wedding trip.

The letters dating between 1861 and 1864 consist primarily of incoming correspondence written by her husband while he served in the Confederate army. These letters are of particular interest in that they describe troop movements, including those of the Forty-third Regiment, and war news. They also contain news of mutual acquaintances and Sykes’s opinions regarding the war. Of note is a letter dated July 26, 1864, from Lovejoy’s Station, Georgia. Sykes tells of his regiment’s retreat from Atlanta and of the destruction of a large amount of property to prevent it from falling into the hands of General William Tecumseh Sherman. Sykes also mentions some of the movements of Sherman’s troops. In another letter, dated October 16, 1864, Sykes offers detailed troop movements and expresses the opinion that his regiment will strike somewhere along the Tennessee River in Alabama, possibly at Bridgeport or Guntersville.

The correspondence from the latter part of 1864 consists of letters of condolence written to Elizabeth Augusta Murdock Sykes by various family members and friends. Of note is a resolution of condolence sent to Sykes by her husband’s regiment.

Series Identification:

1. Correspondence. 1859-1864; n.d. 8 folders.

   Box 1, folders 1-8