Discharged from the Civil War because he shot his finger off on purpose.
References
↑ 1.01.11.2Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census. (Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2003;) Database online. Albion, Calhoun, Michigan, post office Albion, roll 666, page 357, image 40.
Record for Van Rensler Whitaker _FOOT: Ancestry.com, 1870 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2003), Database online. Albion, Calhoun, Michigan, post office Albion, roll 666, page 357, image 40.