Beyond the Cannon’s Breath

In golden light of evening blaze, the old sentry meets our gaze. From cannon’s breath and bitter fray, to Pataskala’s peaceful quiet way. He catches fire in the evening sun, a soldier’s watch that’s never done. Carved in stone for one man’s name, to guard the peace from which he came…

---

I’ve been researching the service of this Union soldier to determine his involvement in the war’s major engagements. While Company F of the 46th OVI saw significant action across Tennessee and the Western Theater, I have yet to find definitive proof of George W. Moore’s presence during those specific early battles.

However, I have successfully verified his service with Company B, 135th OVI during the Battle of North Mountain in West Virginia. Records from the Granville Historical Society specifically list his name among those present during that engagement.

If George W. Moore fought at North Mountain—and I say “if” since I’ve only been able to find one source—he was part of a devastating Union defeat. Following the surrender, the prisoners of Company B were forced to march south to Lynchburg, Virginia. From there, they were entrained for various Confederate prisoner-of-war camps, including the notorious stockade at Andersonville.

The toll on his unit was staggering! Of the 166 soldiers from Licking County who surrendered at North Mountain, only 65 lived to return home. If these records are accurate, George W. Moore was one of those few survivors. A man who endured the “bitter fray” only to return to the quiet peace of Pataskala.