Mr. Owens, thanks for that, but, if the Banks invasion had commenced even a month or two earlier, all Confederate personnel would have been out on the field, trying to stop this invasion, much earlier than the battle of Mansfield. I do not know much of the Banks campaign, but I do believe the Mansfield battle was a later part of the campaign. I doubt very much if Fearn would have been home, while his mates were obviously very busy trying to stop the invasion.
Furthermore, the point of the matter is that the Fearn family themselves have clearly stated that his service in the Civil War was mere conjecture, and Mr. Howard Fearn-Wannan expressed deep shock when he found out about the marker, and clearly stated that it should never have been obtained, as the family members themselves were never ever sure if John Fearn had ever served in the Civil War, let alone if he and John Francis were one and the same person. I do believe that the service records of John Francis show no evidence whatsoever, that he ever had a middle initial of F. or that he had the surname of Fearn appended to his name.
Thank you for at least clearing up the matter that the headstone does indeed exist. I, as well as the true descendant of John Fearn, Mr. Howard Fearn-Wannan, both believe that the marker was improperly obtained, and should not be installed anywhere at all. It still contains some incorrect data, which has never been shown or proven in original documents.
Additionally, Ellen Fearn, later to become Mrs. Ellen Wannan, was far too young to have been married in 1852, as I stated in my message to you. Besides, at no time in her life did she ever have the surname of Francis shown, in any documents.
If the direct family members are aware that any service in the Civil War was mere conjecture, and if these family members also believe that John Fearn probably died in 1865, and that there is no proof that John Fearn and John Francis were one and the same, how can those who are not members of the family be making statements, all over the Internet, that contradict what the family members believe? Mr. Howard Fearn-Wannan had stated to me that the data placed on the Internet by Alice Y. Holtin, was done without their knowledge or permission. Holtin, according to Mr. Fearn-Wannan, is not a family member, but a friend of the family.
I stongly urge you, or anyone with any doubts, to contact Mr. Howard Fearn-Wannan, whose contact details I have included in an earlier posting, to confirm all these details, and, if anyone holds any concrete evidence that Fearn and Francis were one and the same person, to let Mr. Fearn-Wannan know of this evidence.
We all dearly want to know the truth about the Civil War veterans, and not just rely on mere speculation, or as Mr. Fearn-Wannan refers to it - "conjecture." Nor should grave markers be obtained if what is available is just "conjecture" without any foundation based on available documents.