Lottie, thanks ever so much. Based on what you provided and taking a magnifying glass to read faded pencil longhand writing, I suspect he name on the furlough is for John W. Clanton, as opposed to J. N. Clanton.

The furlough was in a small leather purse belonging to my ggg grandmother, Mary Venable Martin Hughston. Her son Sanford V. Hughston, found the purse, with the furlough and her Confederate money, after the war. Since Dr. Joseph Hughston, her 1st husband, died in 1832, she remarried a Mr. McGaugh, with no children, in the 1840's. I suspect the Clanton tie-in is thru the McGaugh family.

Mary died in 1877 and is buried in The Bethesda Cemetery in Senatobia, MS.

Again thanks for your help.

If you have the time, perhaps you an help me trace Mary's 2nd son, William Leroy Hughston, 1829 - 1888. He is buried in The French Camp Cemetery, French Camp MS. The FamilySearch site shows a veteran's marker application was filed for William. Can you find any CSA service for him?

I do know some details of the older son, S. V. Hughston's service. He began the war with the State Conscription Dept. and later with a State Calvary unit. Several of his letters are on file in Jackson, Dept. of Archives. One letter recounts a winter ride thru North Miss after Federal raids from Memphis in retaliation for Gen. Forrest's successes. His comment was "it turns your blood cold to see the destruction".