RESIDENCES:
RECORD OF SERVICE: Enlisted 28 May 1864 as a private (age 49) in Company B, 8th Battalion Virginia Reserves. No further record.
SYNOPSIS OF HIS LIFE: During the Civil War, Catherine Furnace was managed by Noah Foltz, ironmaster, who was, according to Page: County of Plenty, a Union sympathizer. "His forge made metal for the Confederacy, and many local men were exempted from military service in the Confederate Army so they could work at the Furnace." According to a relative "Mr. Foltz would help Union soldiers escape through the trails up the Massanutten and into Fort Valley. At one time, said the informant, Mr. Foltz was leading two men who were dressed in Union uniforms, but after showing the men the way north, they removed their coats and revealed themselves as being Confederate officers. Mr. Foltz was then arrested, but was "bonded" and put to work at the Furnace. his good conduct was guaranteed by the bond and by the danger of trouble for his relatives if he again operated such an underground railroad for any purpose."
Based on this information, it appears ironic that he would have served in even the reserves, unless, forced to do so.
"It was reported that during one Yankee invasion of the Valley, all the other workers fled into hiding, but Mr. Foltz remained at the Furnace a week and continued to feed charcoal into the furnace until all of the iron ore had been melted and was safely drained from the furnace. Had the half melted iron been allowed to remain in the furnace until it cooled, the furnace would have required rebuilding."
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