william sykes, this is his pension application. he may have deserted to support his fiancee who he married right after coming out of the army. they spent the rest of their lives in memphis red both the company books and military service records are clear, he stated he had been discharged. several veterans from the regiment testified on behalf of. him. all of them lived in memphis in the late 19th century. most had been in the city before the war. a corporal was typical. testifying, i knew the claimant before the war. he was a free man. we both lived in memphis. i saw him frequently in the service. these communities helped soldiers to desert continued to protect them for decades afterwards. this did not go unnoticed. george westfield, a special examiner for the pension bureau in memphis, had a case in 1899. he had to determine whether mary johnson's deceased husband was identical to either of the men who served in african-american regiments civil war. after examining records and opposing 14 witnesses, he reported to the commissioner