You always hope that stories like this can be proven to be true. Unfortunately, much of this can be proven untrue. Where the actual truth lies is, so far, a little harder to uncover. First of all, as pointed out by Pam, the man who enlisted in the Quitman Guards (Co. E, 16th Miss.), Apr. 23, 1861, was 25 years old when the unit was mustered into Confederate service on June 8. He transferred to the Louisiana unit known as Washington Artillery on Dec. 27, 1861. Records from both units showing the transfer indicate that at that time he was 26 years old. Also, the 16th was no where near Clinton. He was wounded by a gunshot wound to the back at Second Drewery's Bluff, and was hospitalized at Chimborazo in Richmond. Although there is indication he was given a furlough from there, both Confederate and Union records show that he deserted afterward. The Mississippi Graves Registration site shows this man as Wid L Martin, Co G. 2nd Mississippi Cavalry, but has a question mark next to that information. I would also question this information, for the only card in the file of W L Martin of that unit is the card recording the surrender at Citronelle, AL, and parole at Grenada. This card shows this man to be from Choctaw County. The question that Pam poses about a man in Stanford's Co. Light Artillery also comes up negative, as that man enlisted in Grenada, and died of an unknown disease on June 16, 1862. Finally, when the Martin family was visited for the 1910 census, there is no indication that he claimed to be a Confederate veteran. This is somewhat murky, due to the fact that the enumerator put a zero in that column on the census, as he did with almost all other adult males, and we really don't know what he meant by that. It would be nice to uncover a tidbit of truth in this story, but I could not find it. Perhaps someone else can fill in some more details.
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