In 2012, Douglas Mooney (content contributor) and I had a discussion related to the soldiers of the 3rd and 4th Pennsylvania Reserves who fought at the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain. Although not a very verbose, I am posting this part of excerpt of our conversation which I hope will shed some light on those who fell during the battle, particularly those from the 3rd and 4th Pennsylvania Reserves, and what happened to them afterwards:
“…before it slips my mind I wanted to pass along a small piece of information I recently came across. The website lists Corporal William R. Morris, Co. A, 4th, as having transferred into Co. L, 54th at the end of his 3 year hitch (I’m assuming that was taken from Bates). However, Roll of Honor #23 (p. 306) indicates that he actually died on June 6, 1864 of injuries received at Cloyd’s Mountain. After the battle, he seems to have been the lone member of the 4th who was transported to the Confederate hospital at Emory and Henry College, in Emory, VA. It was there that he died. His remains were subsequently moved by the Quartermaster Generals Office and reinterred in Knoxville National Cemtery, TN.
On a related note, I was finally able to find out what happened to the remains of men killed at Cloyd’s Mountain and buried on the battlefield or at field hospitals. I contacted the Veterans Administration and they indicated that men killed in that battle were exhumed in 1867-68 by the Quartermaster General’s Office and re-buried at Knoxville National Cemetery. With the exception of Corp. Morris, all the men of the 4th, including Sergt. William D. Mooney, were unable to be identified and are now buried as “unknown” in Circle 11 of that cemetery. The two other exceptions that I’ve found so far relate to: 1) Col. Woolworth. His remains were exhumed and returned to Philadelphia in 1866, presumably by the family.; and 2) one additional unknown soldier was exhumed at an unknown date by the QMO and moved to Staunton National Cemetery.”
Currently a resident of Burke, Virginia - I'm originally from the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have been a student of the Pennsylvania Reserves since 1997 and thoroughly enjoy telling their story. By trade I'm a former IT Professional but presently working as a Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service.
