Re: DeWitt C. Davis, 4th Reg, Alabama Volunteer Militia
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In reply to:
DeWitt C. Davis, 4th Reg, Alabama Volunteer Militia
J. Richards 10/01/10
First, your pension question:There was, of course, no FEDERAL pension program for Confederate soldiers.There were, however, pension programs.Pension laws benefiting former Confederate soldiers and their widows were passed by all of the former Confederate states, as well as by Oklahoma.If a former Confederate soldier lived in one of these states, he could apply for a state pension.If he moved elsewhere, outside the former Confederacy, he was out of luck.So, the question becomes, "where did your ancestor live after the war?"If he stayed in Alabama, or moved to another of the former Confederate states, check for a state pension application in the state where he lived.
Now, how to proceed, based on the information you found in the CWSS database.First, consider the source of the CWSS information.Compiled service records for Confederate soldiers are held at the national archives in Washington, DC.The original paper records are now on microfilm.The records were originally indexed on cards something like a library card file.Those index cards have also been microfilmed.The CWSS is essentially a database of those index cards.It contains the information found on the index card.If there's an index card, there's a compiled service record, so the clear first step is to get the individual's service record and see what you find there.The information is likely to be pretty thin and incomplete.Especially so for a regiment like the 4th Alabama, raised at the beginning of the war (record keeping tended to get better later on).But you may reasonably expect to find the individual's enlistment date and place, and with luck you'll also find his age at enlistment.Compare the information you find to what you know of your ancestor at the time.This will at least tell you if they COULD be the same individual.