Using 19th century information, real 'proof' is elusive, but people at the VA understand that. Based on age submitted with the enlistment, W M Givens in the 10th Texas Regt doesn't match, but W M Givens in the 2nd Alabama Artillery Battn does. Additional points about this man include residence in Mobile, where his company was recruited, and the fact that only one adult male named William Givens appears on the 1860 census for Mobile County AL. There is no record of death for this soldier, and your William Givens survived the war.

One additional point to confirm identification is rarely found. That is an occupation or trade other than agriculture. Unlike most other Confederate service files, the file for William Givens includes receipts for extra pay as a carpenter. This matches occupation reported on both the 1860 and 1870 census for Mobile.

Unless a Texas pension application or some other post-war documentation can be identified (and I didn't find any), this is about as good as it gets.

You can order a copy of this man's service file by clicking in the red box above. The VA will require this as proof of service.