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A Letter from Private Cyrille Trasimon Guidry Père during the Civil War Marty Guidry Born on 18 July 1828 in St. Martin Parish, LA, Cyrille Trasimon Guidry père married Azaliea Alzeninth Nunez on 23 May 1854 in Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, LA. He was the son Olivier Guidry fils and Isabelle Belzire Thibodeaux while Alzeninth was the daughter of Sebastien Nunez and Clementine Lapointe. Cyrille and Alzeninth raised a family of twelve children, eleven sons and one daughter, in Vermilion Parish, LA - Cyrille Trasimon fils (b. 1855), Olivier Hippolyte (b. 1857), Arthur (b. 1859), Numa Gilbert (b. 1861), Sebastien (b. 1864), the twins Adolphe and Rodolphe Anselme (b. 1868), Caliste (b. 1871), Socrates Odin (b. 1874), Luc (b. 1877), Xavier Nunez (b. 1880) and Modeste (b. 1881). To support his large family, Cyrille farmed near Abbeville. Cyrille Trasimon Guidry père died 5 December 1900 at his home near Abbeville, LA in Vermilion Parish. His wife Alzeninth Nunez Guidry died 3 May 1927 in Vermilion Parish, LA. With the outbreak of the Civil War Cyrille Trasimon Guidry père enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1862 at Camp Pratt near New Iberia, LA in Iberia Parish. He was assigned the rank of private. The initial unit(s) in which he served are not known; however, by October 1864 he was a private in Company C of the 7th Louisiana Cavalry. He served in this unit until the surrender of the 7th Louisiana Cavalry at Chicot, LA in May, 1865. Captain William A. Whitaker commanded Company C while Colonel Louis Bush commanded the 7th Louisiana Cavalry Regiment until January 1865 when he was transferred. Colonel Louis A. Bringier replaced him and served until the surrender of the 7th Louisiana Cavalry. The complete service record of Cyrille Trasimon Guidry père is not known; however, we do have sketchy information on his service. On 16 April 1915 his widow Alzeninth Nunez Guidry filed a Civil War Pension Application (Louisiana Civil War Pension Application No. 14260; Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) and was granted a quarterly pension of $19.90 on 10 June 1915. On 6 September 1930 after the death of Alzeninth Guidry her family requested that the Board of Pension Commissioners return a letter written by Cyrille Trasimon Guidry during the Civil War and that was attached to the original application. The Board of Pension Commissioners responded on 30 September 1930 and stated that they were returning these four letters written by Cyrille Trasimon Guidry: dated Camp Pratt, LA, September
6, 1862
Camp Pratt was just north of New Iberia, LA near present-day Highway 82 in Iberia Parish, LA. Camp Pratt was a Confederate Enlistment Camp where young men enlisted and received their initial instructions on becoming a soldier. Camp Bisland was between Patterson, LA and Centerville, LA at the present-day Calumet Spillway along Bayou Teche in St. Mary Parish, LA. The Battle of Bisland was fought 12-13 April 1863. Almost certainly Cyrille Trasimon Guidry père fought in this engagement. During late 1864 and early 1865 Companies A and C of the 7th Louisiana Cavalry made raids into the Bayou Lafourche region to acquire horses and supplies as well as to harass the enemy. By May 1865 the 7th Louisiana Cavalry had encamped near Alexandria, LA in Rapides Parish. They surrendered near here at Chicot, LA later that month. The attached letter written by Cyrille Trasimon Guidry to his eldest son during the Civil War has survived over 140 years in our family. Written in Cajun French, no date or location is discernible. It appears that Alzeninth Guidry had written her husband Cyrille earlier that their eldest son Cyrille fils, who was about eight years old, was missing his father and needed a word of encouragement. In this brief letter the father tells his son that he is the "man of the house" now and that he needs to ensure the work is done and to care for the family. A transcription and translation of the letter follows. The two photographs are of the father Cyrille Trasimon Guidry père and the son Cyrille Trasimon Guidry fils taking at different times in their lives. The original photographs in the author's possession are period tin-types. The graves of both father and son are located together in Old St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Cemetery behind the church in Abbeville, LA.
Cyrille Trasimon Guidry, fils
Cyrille Trasimon Guidry, père
A LETTER FROM PRIVATE CYRILLE TRASIMON GUIDRY PÈRE DURING THE CIVIL WAR Transcription: Cover
Cover page - Letter from Cyrille Trasimon Guidry père
Letter from Cyrille Trasimon Guidry, père
Genealogy of Cyrille Trasimon Guidry fils Cyrille Trasimon Guidry fils m.
Uranie Mayard
A LETTER FROM PRIVATE CYRILLE TRASIMON GUIDRY PÈRE DURING THE CIVIL WAR Old St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Cemetery behind the church in Abbeville, LA
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