The above Confederate Veteran is the most honored ancestor of Tommy Van Smith, presently 1st Lt Commander of SCV Camp 469.

Pvt Van Pelt, great-grandfather of Lt Commander Smith, was a Private in Co. F of the 6^th (Culberson’s) Battalion, Georgia Cavalry, State Guards C.S.A.  The 6^th, commanded by Lt. Col. A. B. Culberson, was comprised of horse soldiers from Walker and Chattooga  counties. Co. A, called the Walker Cavalry, was commanded by T. A. Sharpe. Co. B, also called the Walker Cavalry, was commanded by John B. Rogers. Co. C was called either the Walker Guards or the Walker Cavalry and was commanded by James M. Easterling. Co. D, called the Boiling Spring Cavalry, was commanded by William Mahan. Co. E was called the Pond Spring Cavalry and was commanded by Joseph C. Hall. Cos. A through E were all from Walker County. Co. F, called either the Dirt Town Cavalry or the District Town Cavalry, was commanded by John Jones, and Co. G, called the Chattooga Cavalry, was commanded by Samuel Hawkins. Co's F and G were from Chattooga County. The battalion, organized in August of 1863 for a six month duration designed for defense of the northwest part of Georgia, was defined as “one-fourth of the state.”

Private Van Pelt lived with his family in the Holland, Ga area and was a blacksmith by trade. He enlisted on August 1, 1863 in Dirt Town, Chattooga County by Captain Culberson for a period of 6 months. He was paid $48.30 commutation for the use of his horse. On January 1, 1864, Pvt Van Pelt was detailed as a blacksmith in the company and left the 6^th when the entire battalion was mustered-out of service at Camp Iverson, located close to Villanow, Ga on February 2, 1864.

Born in Western North Carolina in 1820, William was first married to Susan Smith who bore him three children: Siney Frances, Emily (who was called Ema), and Ella. William then married Susan Josephine Ferguson. They had five children: Simpson Abraham, Cliney, Arthur, and Venice Gertrude (one of Lt Commander Smith's paternal grandmothers).  There was also a half-sister named Fannie.

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