WILEY, AQUILA (20 Feb. 1835-5 June 1913), volunteer Army officer during the CIVIL WAR, was born in Mechanicsburg, Pa., son of William and Susan (Spahr) Wiley. He settled in Wooster, Ohio in 1852, and was commissioned a 1st lieutenant in the 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in Apr. 1861, promoted to captain in May, and assigned to the 41st OVI in Sept. Wiley trained at Camp Wood in Cleveland. At the Battle of Shiloh he was seriously wounded in the left leg on 7 Apr. 1862. He recovered and was promoted to major on 22 June and to lieutenant colonel on 6 Dec. Advancing to colonel of the 41st, he led the regiment at the Battle of Missionary Ridge on 25 Nov. 1863 and was wounded again in the left leg, necessitating amputation above the knee. He was appointed commandant of Camp Cleveland, assuming his responsibilities on 20 Apr. 1864, successfully overseeing the rendezvous and training of several new infantry regiments. He received a medical discharge on 7 June and left Camp Cleveland to return to Wooster. Appointed captain in the 8th Regiment, Veteran Reserve Corps, in Mar. 1865, Wiley rose to major in Apr.; assigned chief mustering officer at Camp Cleveland, he discharged approximately 11,654 Union troops. After his discharge, he was awarded a brevet brigadier generalship, U.S. Volunteers, for his service. Returning to Wooster, Wiley practiced law and served 1 term as probate judge in Wayne County. A Baptist, he married Emma Power in 1870 and had 2 children, Walter and Ada. Wiley died in Wooster and was buried in the Wooster Cemetery.
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