The button on the cuff links is post CW. The telltale sign is the position of the wings of the eagle. The below link shows a good picture of an identical post war button. Notice the angle of the top edge of the wings when compared to a CW period button. This button has horizontal wing edges and the CW era wings are upturned or pointed up at various angles depending on who made the button. Very small difference but it does make a difference. I believe the cuff links were probably obtained at a reunion.

http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/cgi-bin/relic/relic_config.pl?noframes;read=85839

Family folk lore sometimes gets really distorted. When I was a child I was told that my CW ancestor got shot off of a white horse at Gettysburg. When I got old enough to do a little reasearch the truth was that he was walking in Picketts charge and was mortally wounded.