Karen --

This is a wonderful teaching method! It's not uncommon for a soldier to serve in more than one command during the war. At the same time, it's not uncommon for unrelated soldiers, even men from the same state, to have the same name. It would be worth checking the two service files mentioned for that reason, as well as determining the length of the soldier's service.

Were you interested in copies of National Archives service files for the soldiers mentioned.
Do you already have them?

The war experience differed greatly from unit to unit. If I'm not mistaken, the 51st Virginia spent much of the war in the Shenandoah Valley. I feel certain that I must have at least one inspection report for this regiment and its brigade. I may even have reports for the 24th Virginia.

Let me check and make a new post on this topic. Meanwhile you may benefit from checking the message board archives, old and new, to see other posts on these regiments.