Help with Civil War military records?

[ELCore]

Thank you.

I guess it's as much military history, too, as military records.

For instance, he was a Pennsylvanian, but the records say he enlisted, for 3 years, in Co. D, 5th Regiment, W. Va. Calvary, in Wheeling, Virginia, on July 10, 1861 at age 43, and was a wagoner. He mustered out of Co. I, 5th Reg., W. Va. Calvary on July 28, 1864. (There is a note at the bottom of the muster-in roll that Co. D subsequently became Co. I.)

So, I gather that what I'm looking at are summaries of earlier records? For instance, "W. Va." is printed (not written) at the top of the "Company Muster-in Roll" for July 10, 1861, but West Virginia did not exist at that time. And there is a signature at the bottom of each sheet, identified as "Copyist."

This strikes me as a very early enlistment; by which I mean, there had only been a handful of minor skirmishes before that time, right? Also, why would he have enlisted in Wheeling? Were there no Pennsylvania regiments at the time?

Interestingly, a "book mark" at the bottom of the "Co. Muster-out Roll" notes "Charge of desertion removed...." There are words after that, but I cannot make them out. A record of "Returns" for Dec. 1863 says, among other things that I can't make out, "Absent left with detachment at New Creek". I wonder if there was some kind of paperwork snafu, that caused some confusion about desertion.

Thanks.