Harmon Rayl was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, October 4, 1839, and in early childhood came with his parents, Zadoc and Delilah Rayl. to Henry County, where he grew to manhood, working on his father's farm, two miles southwest of Spiceland. He attended the country and town schools during the Winter months and obtained a fair education for the time in which he lived. Having become of age a short time prior to the memorable Presidential contest of 1860, he had the privilege of casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln.In the Summer of the following year, when President Lincoln called for three hundred thousand volunteers, Harmon Rayl became aroused to the gigantic nature of the struggle to preserve the Union and resolved to give all the aid within his power to the President, whom he had helped to elect. He enlisted in Company A, 36th Indiana Infantry, on September 16, 1861, and participated in all the campaigns of that noted regiment up to and including the battle of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Here he was greatly exposed to the inclemency of the weather and subjected to such terrible hardships during the campaign, that he was at last taken ill with brain fever, which terminated his life at Whitesides. Tennessee, December 18, 1863.         

His remains were brought home and interred in the old cemetery at Spice­land. A suitable monument marks the last resting place of this genial, whole-souled and patriotic young man. He was a favorite in his social circle, a brave soldier and the light and life of the camp. He yielded up his life, at the age of twenty four years, for the preservation of the Union.

When the Spiceland Post. Grand Army of the Republic, was instituted, it was unanimously agreed to name it Harmon Rayl Post, in honor of the comrade who had shed such lustre upon the annals of his township.

An excellent picture of the deceased was presented to the Post by his father. Zadoc Rayl. but it was destroyed in the fire which consumed the property of the Post in 1892.

Surviving Harmon Rayl. there remain of his family, Alpheus Rayl, a brother, and Mrs. Thomas K. Millikan, a sister, living at Spiceland, and Clarkson Rayl, another brother, who resides at Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana.