By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

RESERVE – On July 22, 1861, 19-year-old Jean Clairville Jacob, a resident of the Bonnet Carre community of St. John Parish (now known as Reserve) enlisted in the Confederate Army to fight in the Civil War.

According to research conducted by descendants, Jacob received training at Camp Moore in Louisiana and was a member of Company H in the 10th Louisiana Infantry regiment that would become known as the “Louisiana Tigers” for their fierce fighting style.

Reserve resident Andre Jacob, a distant cousin of the soldier, said Jacob served under Gen. Robert E. Lee and fought in 11 major Civil War battles, including Harpers Ferry and Bull Run in Virginia, and Antietam in Maryland. His last battle was in Chancellorville, Va., in 1863, where he was among several killed.

As part of his research into his relative’s life, Andre Jacob said he has spent more than 15 years searching for a gravesite that holds the remains of Jean Clairville Jacob, even enlisting the help of historians from Virginia.

“His final resting spot is likely an unmarked mass grave near the Chancellorsville battlefield,” Jacob said. “It was a common way to dispose of Confederate dead at the time.”

In an effort to properly lay to rest his distant ancestor, Jacob and other family members have planned a full scale military ceremony next Saturday morning in Reserve. Jacob said a grave marker provided by the U.S. Veterans Administration will be placed at the Jacob family burial plot in St. Peter’s cemetery. The event will begin at 9 a.m.

“It’s a one-time, unique event that most people have likely never seen before,” Jacob said. “After 149 years, we just want to pay homage to this native son.”

Jacob said Fr. Martin Smullen of St. Peter’s Church will offer prayer and blessings. The Louisiana Militia and a Sons of Confederate Veterans group will serve as Honor Guard and fire a rifle salute. Other participants include the VFW and other guest speakers.

“We are going to focus on his life before the military and talk about the Jacob family, which is an old family line that arrived on Louisiana’s German Coast in 1753 from France,” Jacob said. “We want to bring out other members of the Jacob family and any other interested parties in St. John, St. Charles and St. James parishes.”