D.F. Wells was born in Georgia in 1838 and was living in Neshoba County Mississippi in 1860; by profession a Carpenter.

On July 20,1861 Wells enlisted as a Private in Captain Zach Booth's company, which was organized in Laurel Hill and named the Scotland Guards. The Scotland Guards was reorganized into Company K, 5th Miss Infantry Regiment at Enterprise Mississipi in October of 1861. Its first active service was as part of the Army of Pensacola. Shortly thereafter the Regiment became part of the Army of Tennessee and fought in many battles, including:

Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862 Corinth, April-June, 1862 Murfreesboro (Stone's River), December 31, 1862-January 3, 1863 Tullahoma Campaign, June, 1863 Chickamauga, September 19, 20, 1863 Chattanooga Siege, September-November, 1863 Chattanooga, November 23-25, 1863 Atlanta Campaign, May-September, 1864 Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864 Atlanta, July 22, 1864 Franklin, November 30, 1864 Nashville, December 15-16, 1864 Bentonville, March 19-21

As far as the records show, Private Wells was with the regiment during these battles up until June 1864,when he was apparently wounded near Atlanta Georgia and taken by train to a hospital in nearby Oxford Georgia, where he died of his wounds. He is buried in the Confederate cemetery in Oxford with many of his comrades.

Of interest is that Wells was placed on Extra Duty as a Carpenter in March, April and May of 1863, in which he helped build the Confederate fortifications at Bridgeport Alabama.

Wells carried a Blacksmith-made Bowie Knife. It was very well made from an old Sheffield rasp. Judging from its 'western' appearance, Wells could have bought it from a local blacksmith in Mississippi or possibly in Mobile, as his unit travelled through that town on its way to join the Army of Pensacola. Its scabbard was sewn directly to Well's accoutrement belt and Wells sctratched his name on the back.