Alan,
Thanks for the reply re W. J. Woodward who served in Co 'D' 23rd Georgia Infantry. My ancestor by this name was born in Yancey/Madison County, NC in 1851. It's highly unlikely he joined a South Carolina unit in 1862 at the age of 11. The information you've provided sheds light on a family folktale that has been in question for years and reveals it was just that---a folktale!
Much obliged,
Lawrence