So the city directories provide additional evidence that the man in the 2nd Alabama Light Artillery is the correct one. Thank you for bringing him to our attention. We had noted him, but the middle initial M threw us off, and we had not reviewed every page in his 38-page file until today. One of the pay statements is in the name W. H. Givens.
The VA form states that veterans who are "discharged under honorable conditions" are eligible for a VA marker. For veterans in the modern era, a DD-214 or equivalent showing honorable discharge must be supplied. Therefore the manner of his separation prior to the end of the war is more than curiosity. A Confederate soldier who deserted or took the Oath of Allegiance prior to the end of the war would not be considered to have honorable service. The VA recognizes, however, that many pre-World War I service records are incomplete, and therefore accepts requests for markers for veterans of that era without requiring proof of honorable discharge.
The standards of some heritage organizations for membership based on service of a Civil War veteran ancestor may be slightly higher than those of the VA, as they do check the complete service record to be sure that the service was not dishonorable.