Arthur John, of Australia, who recently passed away, was claimed to have been the "oldest real son" with indications that his father, Joseph John, had served in the 54th Virginia Infantry.
Mr. Arthur John was never proven to be a real son. His father, Joseph John, who was born and died in England, was claimed to have been the sergeant of that name in the 54th Virginia, but, if anyone had taken the trouble to do some research, it would show that the Joseph John who was in the 54th was actually a native of Virginia, and lived and died in the western part of the state. Furthermore, in one of Mr. Arthur John's own books, he actually states that his father was a seafarer who stopped at South Carolina (not Virginia). The U.S. census records show that Joseph John of the 54th lived as a blacksmith in Floyd and Roanoke Counties, Virginia. There were other factors that proved that both persons of that name were two entirely different persons. Thus, Mr. Arthur John's father was never ever proven to have been in Confederate service.
The documents are freely available for perusal, at FOLD3, Ancestry.com, and elsewhere.
The claim that Mr. Arthur John's father had served in the 54th Virginia was based plainly on assumptions, with no research ever being performed to prove such claims.