When the Union dead from the Battle of Yellow Bayou were disinterred and moved to Alexandria National Cemetery after the War, most of them were unidentified. Fred Hill was not on the list of identified bodies. I always thought it strange that the colonel's son would be in an unmarked grave, as recognizable as he would have been. Maybe the body was sent home. He was the colonel's son, and the colonel's wound was minor, so he would have been capable of pulling the necessary strings to get that done. The only part of the story that doesn't seem believable is that there would have been a cask of wine available for the job, with all those soldiers around.

I wish your friend remembered where he heard the story about the body being shipped home. The only account I know of is the Val Alstyne version. Johnson apparently gives a slightly misquoted version in his book, but it's definitely from Van Alstyne.