Dear editor,
Does William Lundy deserve a memorial?I don't believe so.
After doing a small amount of research, I discovered that Mr. Lundy's military service claim had been discredited.
Page 202 of "Civil War, A to Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict," edited by Clifford L. Linedecke, reads: "Lundy,William, CS: A discredited veteran of the civil war, Lundy died on Sept. 1, 1957, and was widely believed to have been survived by only two other veterans. Lundy claimed to have served in the Alabama Home Guard in 1865, even though census records show he was born in May 1860, which would have meant he was serving under arms when he was a mere 5 years old."
According to William Foster in 1991, for an article titled "The Great Imposters" in "Blue and Gray" magazine, William Lundy is listed as 1 year old on the 1860 census; and from 1870 until 1930, he gave census marshals ages that reflected birthdates as early as 1853 and as late as 1860. He did not push his birthdate back to the 1840s until he applied for a Confederate pension from the state of Florida, the article states.
Perhaps some more research should be conducted to prove without a shadow of a doubt if a memorial is deserved or not.
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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Research casts doubts on Lundy's military service