John William Combs was enlisted as a union soldier in the 6th Regiment Cavalry during the Civil War from 6/21/1861 until 8/15/1864.

Organized from 3rd West Virginia Mounted Infantry January 26, 1864. Attached to 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, Army West Virginia, to April, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia, to June, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia, to July, 1864. Reserve Division, Harper's Ferry, W. Va., to January, 1865. Remount Camp Pleasant Valley, Md., to April, 1865. Dept. of Washington, D.C., 22nd Army Corps, to June, 1865. District of the Plains, Dept. of Missouri, to May, 1866.

SERVICE.--Duty at Martinsburg, W. Va., until March, 1864. Operations in Hampshire and Hardy Counties January 27-February 7. Springfield February 2. Moved to Beverly, March, and duty there until May. Winchester April 8 (Detachment). Kablestown June 10 (Detachment). White Post June 13 (Detachment). Wire Bridge and Springfield June 26 (Detachment). Frankfort July 4. Back Creek Bridge July 26. Regiment reorganized at Cumberland, Md., July 7. Remounted at North Bridge August 22, and ordered to New Creek. Duty there until January 12, 1865. Expedition, to Moorefield November 6-8, 1864 (Detachment). Moorefield November 27-28. New Creek November 28. Moved to Remount Camp, Md., January 12, 1865, and duty there until April 4. Duty at Washington, D.C., until June 12. Moved to Leavenworth, Kan., June 12-29, and duty there until July 16. A detachment moved to Fort Kearney, Neb., and duty under Major Squires. Regiment moved to Julesburg and duty escorting Overland mails and operating against hostile Indians at Julesburg and Cottonwood Springs until April, 1866. Moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and mustered out May 22, 1866.

Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 28 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 201 Enlisted men by disease. Total 236.

No obit found in Preston Co. papers