25-year-old Andrew J. Raymor joined the 9th New York Volunteers as a Private on August 8, 1862. He was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the 19th Regiment on November 17, 1863. 

Raymor was captured at the Battle of the Crater near Petersburg, Virginia on July 30, 1864, and imprisoned at Camp Asylum, Columbia, South Carolina. He was released in a prisoner exchange on March 1, 1865, and returned to the regiment on May 3, 1865, shortly after the Civil War had effectively ended with Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, Virginia on April 9, 1865.

Raymor's pension file contains the following letter from Captain James W. Rickard to Mrs. Raymor:

Camp 19 USCT

July 31, 1864

Madam

Yesterday we had a terrible battle. Your husband is missing. I think he is wounded & a prisoner from the best information I can get. He was seen wounded in  the arm just before we were driven back & most probably was captured. Any thing further I may hear concerning him I will communicate.

Yours & C

J.W. Rickard

Capt. 19 USCT

To Mrs. A.J. Raymor

Ontario N.Y.

The pension file also contains the following fragment of a letter from Lt. Raymor to his wife from prison:

Richland Jail, Columbia, S.C.

Nov. 28th, 1864

Dearest Wife

Yours of Aug. 31st was received last night. You can't imagine how glad I was to hear from you after waiting so long. It was the first and only letter I have received since I have been a prisoner. Was pleased to hear that you and Monty are well. Hope you may remain so. You must keep up good courage. I hope I may be exchanged soon, then I … (the rest of the letter is missing)

Address

Lieut. A.J. Raymor

Prisoner of War

Richland Jail

Columbia S.C.

via Flag of Truce

Raymor's pension file also contains the following deposition by William A. Mix, 1st Lieutenant, Company K, 19 USCT, dated December 19, 1898:

I became acquainted with Andrew J. Rayner when I joined the USCT… We were both captured at the mine disaster at Petersburg July 30, 1864 and were taken to Columbia, S.C. and confined in the jail there. We were kept in the jail until the last of Dec. 1864, or 1st of Jan. 1865. They then took us out and marched us 3 miles to the Lunatic Asylum - the weather being cold and the ground frozen. 

They furnished us no blankets, allowed us a pint of corn meal a day - ground cob and all, furnished us but little wood to cook that with and none to warm us. Lt. Rayner having no blanket had to lie on the ground and was taken with rheumatism, pains in his joints, back, hips & sides. I succeeded in getting him into a building where he lay for several days without being hardly able to move - could just barely turn over. We rubbed him with hot cloths. I don't remember whether he had fever or not - all I remember is that he was in awful pain. We had no doctor there. I don't remember whether there was any swelling of joints or not. 

I call the ailment rheumatism because of the pain he suffered - such excruciating pains could not have been caused by anything else - that was my opinion at the time. This spell commenced on him the first night we had to sleep on the ground. He got up stiff the next morning and it was the first day we had such a time to get room in a house for him.

To the best of my recollection this spell lasted a week or ten days. He was in great pain that day before he got up and around and when he got up he was quite stiff. He had a great deal of stiffness and soreness all the time after that until he was exchanged. He never again recovered his health entirely.