Prior to the Civil War, John Trainer worked as a farmer in Highland and Greenbrier Counties. He enlisted at Hevener's store on 11 Jun 1861 and eventually rose in rank to the position of Sergeant. His career in the Confederate States Army was often interupted by periods of absence due to illness or to wounds suffered at Antietam and the Wilderness. After suffering a gunshot wound at Fort Stedman in late March 1865, Trainer was sent to Chimborazo Hospital where he remained until Richmond fell. He then returned home and was later pardoned in May 1865 at Staunton, Virginia.

Letter, 10 Feb. 1865, sent from John Jehu Trainer (1836-1927), Sergeant in the 25th Virginia Regiment, Company F, Confederate States Army, at Camp Ewell in Virginia to his sister. The letter contains a description of the Battle of Hatcher's Run, 5-7 February 1865, in Dinwiddie County. He also mentions camp conditions, the death of William Youell, ill and wounded soldiers, and the weather.2729