In a recent book by David Eicher entitled "Gettysburg Battlefield a Definitive Illustrated History" there was a very famous picture on page 62 of Three Confederate Prisoners captured at Gettysburg. Eicher's caption for this picture stated that the soldier in the middle was Winburn L. Chafin and the man on the right was William H. Oliver, both men of the 8th Louisiana Harry Hay's brigade. Eicher, does go on to say that "Whether this is credible or spurious is impossible to know".
This infomation first came to my attention in early November 2003 through my local newspaper "The Lake Charles American Press" by an article and picture entitled "Can you help identify soldiers?" by Mike Jones. Like most of you I have seen this picture numerous times but to suddenly (over my morning coffee) see the names of my two gr Grandfathers blew my mind. I have been researching for several years every thing possible about their Civil War experiences and have traveled to most of the battlefields and to Fort Delaware where they were in prison.
I immediately contacted Mr. Eicher to see where he had gotten his information as I wished to verify and document it if possible. To be brief as possible Eicher gave me first one then a second source where he thought he had obtained the information about the picture. I can tell you that I researched this with the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Divison, The U. S Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania and The National Archives and Records Administration photographic library at College Park, Maryland without the archivist at any of these facilities being able to find any notations on their negatives or prints to verify Mr. Eicher's caption about the photograph.
As it has taken quite some time to obtain the information from the places above,this is why I have not commented any earlier to queries concerning this picture.
No one more than I could have wished to have found that this picture was indeed my Grandfathers but until I can authenticate Eicher's caption they remain unknown.