▁Ly nd on ▁B . ▁Johnson , ▁and ▁was ▁also ▁recognized ▁by ▁president ▁Richard ▁M . ▁N ixon . ▁ ▁Jet ▁wrote ▁that , ▁according ▁to ▁histor ians , ▁" it ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁impossible ▁for ▁a ▁person ▁who ▁neither ▁reads ▁nor ▁writes ▁to ▁have ▁related ▁the ▁stories ▁of ▁the ▁Civil ▁War ▁in ▁such ▁detail ▁as ▁M age e ▁without ▁having ▁served ▁in ▁the ▁conflict ". ▁ ▁Jet ▁quoted ▁a ▁historian ▁who ▁stated ▁that ▁M age e ▁talked ▁with ▁" rare ▁intelligence ▁and ▁s eld om ▁ram bled " ▁in ▁telling ▁of ▁his ▁participation ▁in ▁the ▁Civil ▁War . ▁ ▁M age e ▁had ▁four ▁w ives , ▁three ▁of ▁whom ▁he ▁out l ived . ▁He ▁father ed ▁ 7 ▁children , ▁the ▁last ▁at ▁the ▁pur port ed ▁age ▁of ▁ 1 0 7 . ▁His ▁father ▁reported ly ▁lived ▁to ▁ 1 2 3 , ▁his ▁mother ▁to ▁ 1 2 2 . ▁In ▁a ▁ 1 9 6 6 ▁interview , ▁he ▁stated ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁never ▁d rank ▁alco hol , ▁not ▁utter ed ▁a ▁swe ar ▁word , ▁although ▁he ▁sm oked ▁c igare tt es ▁for ▁ 1 0 8 ▁years . ▁In ▁his ▁later ▁years ▁he ▁made ▁a ▁living ▁s elling ▁autom ated ▁need les ▁and ▁dig ging ▁gra ves . ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 6 , ▁he ▁divor ced ▁his ▁wife ▁Marie . ▁ ▁On ▁October ▁ 1 5 , ▁ 1 9 7 1 , ▁Syl v ester ▁M age e ▁died