My Great Great Grandfather, George C. Vandiver (shown as George V. Vandivere) probably was personally acquainted with Paris and William since they all served in Company D and all were from Jackson County. I am told that the large number of misspelled names was because many soldiers did not know themselves how their names were spelled and the individual recording the names spelled using the sound of the name as pronounced. My research indicates that a surname may be spelled several different ways especially if the soldier was hospitalized or was taken prisoner.
Even though William was in his late forties when he enlisted, his blacksmith skills would have been welcomed by the Calvary. Of course it was necessary to keep the horses in the best condition possible. One requirement of each Calvary solder was to have two spare horseshoes in his possession. I have some photos on my computer (if I can find them) depicting a blacksmith's wagon in camp with a troop of Calvary.
As you probably know, Confederate Calvary were required to furnish their own horses. Strangely the pay for the "use and endangering" a horse was two dollars more than the monthly salary of the Calvary trooper.