William J. Behan, 2nd Sergeant, Capt. B. F. Eshleman's 4th Company, Washington Battalion, Louisiana Artillery, enlisted May 26, 1861 at New Orleans by Lt. C. W. Phifer for the war, promoted 1st Sergeant July 11, 1861, promoted 2nd Lieutenant July 26, 1863 by order Brig. Gen. Pendleton, paroled at Appomattox Court House April 9, 1865, description on enlistment: 19 year old single Clerk, resident of New Orleans, born in Kentucky

M320: Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana

An excellent recital on the duties of the 1st Sergeant is found in William Watson's ["K" Co. LA 3rd Infantry] "Life in the Confederate Army, Being the Observations and Experiences of an Alien in the South During the American Civil War," LSU Press, 1995