Hi, I am hoping for some help but have not gotten very far. Basically I am trying to identify a man who fought in the civil war. If what he told the US Army is true, his very interesting military record provides some clues but as of yet, I have found no match before, during, or after the war that seems to be this individual other than his military records. I am wondering he was using a fake name and gave the US army false information?
What is known,
His name was Peyton Smith. He originally enlisted as a Private on September 9th, 1863 in Company A, 4th Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters. He enlisted in the city of Augusta Georgia. He was captured at Peachtree Creek and was sent to Camp Douglas Prison. At Camp Douglas, he enlisted as a Private in Company G, 5th US Volunteer Infantry and was sent out west. From his US enlistment papers, we get a few clues. He lists his age as 19 when he enlisted on April 4, 1865 and lists his birth location as Edgefield South Carolina. He did not remain in the US Army long. He would desert the army on June 18, 1865 at or Near Cottonwood Crossing Kansas. His military record states that when he deserted, he also took his musket, musket accoutrements, and camp equipment with him.
That is all I have been able to find on this man. Now of course Smith is a very common name but the first name Peyton is not as common and the combination of Peyton Smith was not very common back in the 1850's and such. Based on that and the fact that I have a birth location, and a relative birth year, I have been very frustrated with the lack of any information that I have been able to uncover. It would be very interesting to learn more about this man, who he was, where he came from, and ultimately what happened to him. I reach out to all of you here for help and any help would be greatly appreciated.