I base my assumptions on the movements of the family during the war and from a letter we have--actually, we have copies as the original was donated to the West Virginia Archives--from a daughter of Joshua, Lorena Brown Morrill--that relates the adventure of the family as they fled from Paint Creek, Kanawha County, to Union, Monroe County. A copy of the letter is posted at:
http://www.emmitsburg.net/cvr/contents/articles/refugee.htm
One of the cards in the file lists Joshua's age as 40.
The family originated in Cincinnati, Ohio. They moved to Galliapolis in 1848, the on to Paint Creek by 1857. His wife Lucy and his children stayed in Union County until around 1864 when they fled to Cincinnati and stayed with family. Except for the oldest son Frank who in 1864 at age 17 enlisted with Company I of the 8th Virginia Cavalry. Frank's home in his records is Monroe County.
As evidenced from the letter, Joshua enlisted at Kanawha. (Joseph was from Monroe County and cards for him indicate his age as 24, not 40, and a place of enlistment. Joseph William, who was with Company D of the 8th Virginia Cavalry. Card two is muster in to date of Sept 20, 1861 from Princeton, Mercer County Virginia and reports he joined for duty on July 21, 1861 at Jno Neely's by Col. Jno Carr for a twelvemonth. Age is reported as 24.
Card 3 is for JW Brown, an ord sgt with the 8th Virginia Cavalry, that declares he enlisted at Kanawha Falls on June 25, 1861, by JC Rigg for a period of 3 years. I think this establishes that Joseph William and JW are two separate people as their enlistment YEARS are the same, but the dates and places are different. Joseph was a private and Joshua a sergeant and then an ordn sergeant in 1863. (I think the stars Lorena describes as her mother sewing on her father's uniform are the insignia for ordnance sergeant, not an officer's stars as she seems to think. She was only twelve at the time.)
Up to card 12 is just regular muster cards or reports JW as ord sgt made. Some are documents that JW had to sign. The 12th card is the parole document made at Charleston WV and is signed by JW with the same signature it appears to me--and his age is given at the bottom with a description of him. Age is 40. As Joshua was baptised in April of 1864, he is actually 41 by this time but may have surrendered before April. Card 13 is for commutations of rations(?) for when he was sick at Monroe Couny for Feb 4 to Mrch 1-, 1862 and he is listed as sergeant, but not ordnance sergeant. This is in keeping with the letter in which Lorena indicates that promotion was not until 1863. There are more cards relating to a JW Brown, and then card 33 is his oath of Allegiance, signed in Cincinnati on May 15, 1851. Signature appears the same as those of other copies of documents Joshua would have signed himself. (He always referred to himself as JW) My Joshua was in Cincinnati area after the war, actually I believe in Newport, Kentucky which is and was considered part of the Cincinnati area. A daughter was born there in 1867 and then Joshua and Lucy moved with the younger children to the Kemper, Illinois region where they lived until their deaths in 1901 and 1902.
This is proof enough for the family that Joshua served the 8th Virginia Cavalry from June of 1861 to its close in 1865. I realize we will not convince anyone else. Including his great grandson, Clifton Morrill who still resides in Plant City, Florida in his eighties. Joshua was buried in New Hope Cemetery in Brandon, Florida. He ended his days with daughter Lorena, who wrote the letter, who lived in Brandon. (Lucy died in 1901 in Kemper: Joshua and Lucy lived with another daughter but after Lucy died, Joshua moved to Lorena's but didn't live long.) There was not enough money for a grave marker, so he was just buried by an oak tree. Decades later, Clinton had a memorial headstone erected in the Morrill family plot. Clinton had his name recorded as Joshua Lacey Wilson Brown (but his name was Joshua Wilson Brown. He was baptised at a church in Cincinnati whose pastor was Joshua Lacy Wilson, a Presbyterian minister who was well known in religious circles) but was christened Joshua Wilson. He also had Confederate Officer, 7th Virginia Cavalry put on the tombstone. But that was incorrect. He was not an officer and he served with the 8th. But, stories do get embellished in the telling over the generations, which is why we sought the truth and I beleive I found it.
I do appreciate your reply and accept that Joshua's service will never be officially recognized. But family is really all that matters in the end, isn't it.
Thanks again.
Sue