Sharon,
Knowledge is POWER, and I have learned a lot from your post. Thanks so much for the insight!

Edmond Beckley, the 3rd oldest son of my great-great grandfather's sister, applied for a pension for his service in the Confederacy. I'll have to dig up the application that his great-great granddaughter supplied to me, but I do recall that the unit he "served" was the same unit of his enslaver, William Barr.

Edmond had 4 brothers who were of age to serve. But apparently William Barr chose to take him to the War with him, perhaps to serve as a body servant. No matter what tidbit of info some folk try to present to back up their claim, it's truly hard for me to comprehend why a slave or former slave would want to support the people who desired to "maintain their way of life" which included slavery for a good percentage.

Mel