Kirby; I am striking out finding a hint to definitively tie Cave Wyatt to either J C Wyatt or HP Wyatt. I do agree Cavan leads the race simply due to the name. Newman in Other Guerrillas states Cave was wounded seriously (shot through lung) dropped off in Chariton County captured and sat out the rest of the war as a prisoner. What I struggle with is I can't find anything in the PM records from Chariton, Buchanan, Boone, Howard counties. Not a peep about him either as a combatant or a civilian. I can't find a parole or prison record anywhere. Talk about an enigma.

Another unusual circumstance is the apparent lack of any nativity being mentioned anywhere in the record of Cave's exploits, nor any mention of war service in Cavan's various biographies.

I am not saying this disqualifies Cavan but it does raise questions I can't answer. I know others were successful in hiding their war activities, maybe more than we suspect. It was nasty and forgive and forget may very well have been the best way to stay alive during reconstruction. I just haven't seen a record so scrubbed before. Could he be buried in the backwoods of Chariton County in an unmarked grave? I just don't know.