On June 5, 1861, John Cuddy enlisted with the Carlisle Fencibles under Captain Robert Henderson, adding one year to his age to avoid possible complications with his enlistment. The Carlisle Fencibles would become Company A, 36th Regiment, 7th Pennsylvania Reserve Corps. The 36th trained at Camp Wayne in West Chester, Pennsylvania before joining the defense of Washington, DC at the battle of Gaines' Mill in June, 1862. (By Rebecca Solnit)

John Taylor Cuddy was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on October 17, 1844. Following President Lincoln's call for volunteers, Cuddy enlisted with the Carlisle Fencibles, which would become Company A, 36th Regiment, 7th Pennsylvania Reserve Corps. John Cuddy died on September 29, 1864 in Florence, Georgia after being captured as a prisoner of war during the Battle of Wilderness. (By Rebecca Solnit)