I do not know the unit from which Signalman J.M. Taylor was detached. One clue to his identity may come from Captain Wilbourn’s diary entry for February 7th, 1865 from the Valley District Headquarters in Staunton. He states, “Wrote a letter home and then went to Mr. Taylor’s and spent the night with Srgt. Vermilion & J.M. Taylor.” It appears J.M. Taylor may have lived with his father in Staunton. There is no further mention of him in the diary. I have also integrated the full readable text of Captain Wilbourn’s diary that dates from February – September 1865 into Chapter 5 of my book. It gives a unique insider’s perspective to events as they unfolded in the Shenandoah Valley and after the war. Captain Wilbourn made his last entry upon returning home to Yalobusha County, Mississippi on October 5th, 1865. Best wishes.
Walter Earl Waddell