Jacob  Kaylor

KAYLOR, JACOB (1832 ~ 1896). Jacob Kaylor, Confederate veteran, was born in Virginia circa 1832. Other than this, no other information is known about his early life.

In early 1862, Kaylor was serving in Company H of the 105th Virginia Militia, but, by March of that year, had enlisted in Captain David O. Rush's Company of Virginia Volunteers. Rush's Company later became Company E of the 63rd Virginia Infantry.

The 63rd Infantry, which was also known as McMahon's Regiment, was organized on May 24, 1862, in Abingdon, Washington County, Virginia. Along with the 54th Virginia Infantry and the 58th and 60th North Carolina Infantries, the Regiment participated in several battles, including Missionary Ridge and New Hope Church.

During this time Kaylor was appointed regimental sutler, or camp cook. He more than likely held this position until he became sick. His Compiled Military Service Records show that he had been absent since February 22, 1864, and was in a Georgia hospital. No mention was made of what type of illness he suffered from.

After returning to his regiment, Kaylor was taken as a prisoner of war on July 5, 1864, near Chattahoochee, Georgia. After being held in a military prison in Louisville, Kentucky, he was sent to Camp Douglas, Illinois where he spent the remainder of the Civil War.

On July 29, 1864, while at Camp Douglas, Kaylor applied to take the oath of allegiance to the Union. He stated that he had no loyalty to the Confederacy and that he was forced to enlist to avoid being drafted. He went on to say that he had deserted his regiment when he was captured. The conditions at Camp Douglas were extremely harsh and Kaylor could have been saying this to receive an earlier release date. No matter what his intentions were, they did not work. He was not released until May 15, 1865, after taking the Oath of Amnesty. Kaylor's Oath depicted his physical description as being five foot eleven inches tall, with blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion.

It is assumed that Kaylor returned to Washington County, Virginia after the War, but no information has been found to verify this. By 1884, he had moved to Texas and settled in Bartlett, Bell County, where he worked as a carpenter.

Having never married and suffering from Rheumatism, he moved to Austin on January 6, 1892, to live in the Confederate Men's Home. He remained there until his death on November 17, 1896. He was later buried in the Texas State Cemetery. The only person to be notified of his death was a C. Kaylor in Sweetwater, Tennessee.

Information taken from: Compiled Military Service Records; Washington County Virginia Militia webpage at http://members.aol.com/jweaver300/grayson/washmil.htm; 63rd Virginia Infantry webpage at http://members.aol.com/jweaver300/grayson/63rdva.htm; Biographical Sketch of General Alexander Welch Reynolds at http://members.aol.com/jweaver300/grayson/reynolds.htm; and Confederate Home Roster.