Husband of Mary P. Griffin
Son of Decatur & Martha Butler
Pvt. Co C 7th Miss Vol Confederate States Army

Bio for Young Poindexter Butler
Young Poindexter Butler was born on the 13th day of January, 1841. He was the first son and second child of Decatur Noonan Butler and Martha Ann Wilkinson Butler. At the age of 20, the 5'10, fair skinned farmer from Liberty, MS enlisted as a private in Captain Benjamin F. Johns' Company, the Amite County Rifles. The company was mustered into state service on April 29, 1861 in Liberty, and eventually became Company C, 7th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. Three months after his enlistment, Young married his beautiful sweetheart, Mary Griffin. They exchanged wedding vows on the 29th of July, 1861. Soon afterwards, Young was called away from his new bride by the Confederate cause. In September 1861, the 7th Mississippi Infantry Regiment transferred to Confederate service under General Dahlgren in Bay St. Louis, and Young was committed for one year. Lucille Butler Gordon revealed in her book, My Butler Grandparents, that "his mother walked the floor day and night, in agony of heart and mind. Two of her sons, [Young, and his brother, George Harrison Butler] were away somewhere in the conflict," where the battles were fierce and disease was running rampant. On January 27, 1862, Young's messmate, Jefferson W. Wilkinson, wrote home from Camp Lovell the following, "...All the rest of my messmates are well, except Young had a pretty high fever last night, but is pert enough now after writing a long love letter to his dear sweet Mollie…" Later, Young was transferred to a hospital in Oxford, Ms. suffering from camp fever. Sadly, his messmate, Jefferson, was killed during the battle of Shiloh and the following month Young succumbed to disease. His short life ended on the 7th of May, 1862. A letter from Mary Wilkinson to her husband Micajah, dated November 9, 1862, describes Young's return and burial. It reads, "Mary B. and Jagers[Jaegers] has got back with Young's [Young P. Butler] remains. They buried him at Aunt Em's yesterday evening at 3, oclock. I went to it. I come here to day about 12, oclock. There was a heap of people there. Aunt Betsy Ann and Eliza Ann stayed with me there. Eliza Ann sends her compliments to you. Jagers[Jaegers] opened the coffin and Aunt Em, Margrett Ann W., and Mary B. look at Young. They only seen his forhead and hair. They sayed he looked natural . He had his hair roached just like he wore it when he was a live. The coffin was so lite that Jagers [Jaegers] lifted it about and some doubted his being in it until they opened it."
In 1871, the citizens of Amite County erected a monument in memory of the soldiers from Amite County who lost their lives in the Confederate Army. Young P. Butler's name appears among the 279 names of the gallant sons of Amite County who gave their lives to their country.