Thanks for the interesting and sometimes funny information. Yes, one would think that the stories of using alcohol to preserve bodies might be folklore. As a student I read a book (I'll have to find the reference) written by a representative of the American Funeral Directors Association (I may not have this quite right). He said, if I remember correctly, that modern embalming was in its infancy in the Civil War. Lincoln's embalming for the funeral train was quite influential in creating demand for the service. Embalming wasn't often available deep in the South. Liquor, tobacco, salt and other natural preservatives were apparently used in home burials up to the 1930s in the South according to the Lyle Saxon papers from the Federal Writers Project recorded in Louisiana. So, who knows?

I don't know whether the report of the boy being sent home in a cask of liquor is documented or a passed-down story. I'll ask. It sounds as though he may be remembering something a researcher told him, since his story is turning out to be partially documented. He is from the area, though, and the story of the boy would be compelling.

Thanks for the pdf file site information on Van Alstyne's diary.

Does anyone know where I might find out what sort of uniform the boy might have been wearing at the time of the battle?

Thanks, Marcy