John A. Caho was born on October 27, 1837 to parents Charles H. Caho and Ann Jones Caho. He was the oldest of six children. On August 20, 1861 he enlisted as a 2nd Lieutenant in Company C of the 8th Indiana Infantry. He was mustered in as Captain on December 30, 1863. In July of 1863 he was granted medical leave for a lung disease from which he never fully recovered. John A. Caho was captured at Cedar Creek, Virginia on October 19, 1864 and was held in the Confederate Libby Prison until February 18, 1865. While imprisoned his lung disease worsened. He was released and had returned to his company when he was granted medical leave again. On August 28, 1865 he was mustered out of the Federal Army in Darien, Georgia. He died on November 2, 1865 from tubercular pneumonia contracted during his service. John A. Caho's father, Charles H. Caho, was born in Virginia in 1812 and later married Ann Jones on July 7, 1836 in Montgomery County, Ohio. He also served in the Federal Army as a private in Company K of the 13th Ohio Cavalry. Charles was diagnosed with consumption in July of 1865 and never fully recovered, eventually dying from his condition on April 10, 1874. Ann Jones Caho was born in Massachusetts in 1819 and survived both her son and her husband.
From the description of John A. Caho diary, 1863-1864. (Atlanta History Center). WorldCat record id: 33060767
