CAPT. HENRY DUPONT | LT. GEN. JUBAL EARLY | LT. JOHN MEIGS COL. GEORGE S. PATTON | MAJ. GEN. STEPHEN RAMSEUR | GEN. PHILIP HENRY SHERIDAN LT. COL. THOMAS WILDES | WEST POINT | MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS

by Jeff Mellott, The Daily News-Record

Lt. Lorenzo D. Stacy of the 29th Maine Infantry saw his chance and took it.

He spied unarmed retreating rebels at the battle of Cedar Creek, and one of them carried the 2nd South Carolina's flag under his arm.

Stacy spurred his horse and took chase. He out raced Col. George Love of the 116th New York Infantry and wrested the flag from the unarmed Southerner.

Capturing an enemy flag could result in the Medal of Honor for Federal soldiers during the Civil War but it did not happen for Stacy, said Nick Picerno, of Bridgewater, a historian of the Maine regiment.

Vain Glory

According to Stacy, Col. Love ordered him to hand over the flag.

Stacy only did so with assurances that Love would return the flag. Love did return the flag but it later disappeared from Stacey's possession only to reappear and again three days later. Stacy turned the flag in at that time.

Stacy's version of events are supported in the regimental history written by John M. Gould. “Love was covered with glory for this,” Gould wrote of the captured flag. “He was even sent to Washington, D.C. by General [Philip] Sheridan, to present it to the War Department with various flags captured from the rebels during this battle.

“Stacy meanwhile stayed at home and searched in his dictionary for the meaning of such words as hero, valor, fearless and illustrious and wondered how any of these words could be defined as the running down of three or four unarmed cripples,” Gould wrote.

“It was a lucky thing for him indeed,” Gould wrote of Love. “Under arrest for cowardice, drunkenness and disobedience of orders, he had been released at the same time with Gen. Dwight and now the tide of opinion had turned. "Bully for Love!" Hurrah for our old Colonel!" As always every crime that can be named was washed out by this show of pluck.”

Valorous Record

Love's Medal of Honor was just one of at least 39 such decorations for Federals in the late summer and fall of 1864 in the Shenandoah Valley.

As it is today, the Medal of Honor is for duty above and beyond the call of duty. But 140 years ago, the government also awarded the medal for other soldierly conduct. The entire 27 th Maine, Picerno said, received the medal for staying on after the enlistment of the members ended.

Years later, a governmental review of medal recipients in 1917 resulted in the revocation of hundreds of medals, Picerno said. The regiment lost its medal, but Love kept his medal created during the Civil War and made permanent in 1863.

Gunpowder

A number of other acts in the Shenandoah Valley in the fall of 1864 also passed muster during the review.

Capt. Henry DuPont was among those who kept their medals. His action at Cedar Creek helped save most of his artillery and bought time for federal infantry retreating in the face of a surprise and determined Confederate attack at dawn.

“By his distinguished gallantry, and voluntary exposure to the enemy's fire at a critical moment, when the Union line had been broken,” the citation said, “encouraged his men to stand to their guns, checked the advance of the enemy, and brought off most of his pieces.”

DuPont, related to the gunpowder makers of Delaware, had demonstrated his prowess with cannon at New Market and Piedmont. But his actions at Cedar Creek were recognized in the form of the Medal of Honor.

DuPont was not the only soldier who received a medal from his actions at Cedar Creek, which ended organized Southern resistance in the Valley and is credited with helping re-elect President Abraham Lincoln.

Getting Started

While Cedar Creek ended Sheridan's campaign that fall, the clash between the armies at Winchester one month earlier opened the commander's efforts to subjugate the Valley.

The medal recipients at The Third Battle of Winchester, included Pvt. Peter Ryan of the 11 th Indiana and Pvt. John Sterling of the same regiment. They managed to capture 14 Confederates, according to their citations.

The campaign continued on to Fishers Hill, where Federals out-flanked the Confederates on the position.

On Sept. 24, First Lt. Edward Whittier, while acting as assistant adjutant general, went over the enemy's works on horseback during an assault. His daring resulted in the capture of Southern cannon, which Federals turned on the Confederates.

Cavalry Battle

A few weeks later, Sheridan withdrew his army north from around Harrisonburg, leaving a trail of burning barns and dead livestock.

On Oct. 9, Sheridan, impatient with Confederate cavalry nipping at his army's heels, turned his horsemen around. The ensuing battle at Tom's Brook resulted in a Confederate rout and a Medal of Honor for Pvt. Edward Hanford of the 2d U.S. Cavalry after he captured the flag of the 32 nd Battalion Virginia Cavalry.

After mid October, the major fighting for the year in the Shenandoah Valley ended but the danger did not.

Flare-Ups

First Lt. Edwin Goodrich received a Medal of Honor for the action he took at Cedar Creek nearly a month after the battle. While the command, the 9 th New York Cavalry, was falling back on Nov. 14, he returned, and in the face of the enemy rescued a sergeant from under his fallen horse, according to the citation.

Pvt. William Hart also remained busy, even into 1865. The member of the 8 th New York Cavalry received his medal for service in 1864 and 1865. “Gallant conduct and services as scout in connection with capture of the guerrilla Harry Gilmore, and other daring acts,” the citation said.

Sources: “The Congressional Medal of Honor,” by Bill Harris, and the Medal of Honor on the U.S. Army Center of Military History Web site.