There have been many accusations made against myself and dubious information provided regarding the fact that John Fearn and John Francis or John Fearn Francis were two different men; that he was not an Australian, did not participate in the American Civil War and was not a hero. The fact is that He was born "John Fearn" in England, sent to Tasmania, Australia as a convict, changed his name to "John Francis" to avoid embarrasing his family back in England, was released on parole, got married, lived in Australia as did "ALL" immigrants to Australia, then went to Louisiana where he lived and participated in the American Civil War. That make him as Australian as any immigrant who ever migrated to Australia; including the Philippine gentleman who migrated to Australia himself and made the accusations.
Had proper research been done prior to making a fool of himself, all of the accusations and misinformation would never have been put out there.

Just because 'one' individual does not have all the research does not mean someone else dosen't. Anyone wanting any of my information is welcome to it for the asking; I, unlike some, do not hoard research, but make it available to anyone wanting it FREE OF CHARGE. The website, WWW.ACWV.INFO has all the information on the veterans in Australia and New Zealand, and the sources from which it came; freely available to anyone wanting it. The individual who made all the misinformation available on this website never asked or sought the information from me; and could have used my sources on the website to acquire it from the original sources himself.

It is high time we all, as individuals seeking such information, stop the in-fighting and mud slinging and cooperate; by sharing information. That way, everyone benifits, the whole story comes out and it is preserved in many locations for future generations to easily acquire. We should not be doing it for personal gain; but to assist in the preservation of information for future generations. That is why the American Civil War Round Table of Queensland, Inc. has worked hard to assist in the placing of numerous headstones on unmarked veterans graves in Australia and New Zealand and with family reunions and dedication ceremonies.

John Fearn Francis did participate in the American Civil War, coming directly from Australia; and he did die in an heroic manner trying to save not only Confederate lives, but Union soldiers lives as well. In anyone's book, that makes him a hero and a soldier of Louisiana to be proud of.

The John Fearn Francis story, sources from which it was derived, pictures and documents have all already been forwarded to his descendant Mr. Howard Fearn-Wannan. Had the individual in question made his contact information known earlier, it would have been made available to him over two years ago.

I sincerely hope this puts to rest once and for all any question regarding the authenticity of John Fearn Francis.