Brigadier General Daniel Adams Butterfield was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 27, 1862 at Gaines' Mill, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S. Volunteers. Butterfield was 30 years old.
6 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on September 26, 1892, 30 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Major General.
Butterfield was born on October 31, 1831 in Utica, Oneida County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Washington, District of Columbia. Butterfield died on July 17, 1901 in Cold Spring, New York, at the age of 69. He is buried at U.S. Military Academy Cemetery in West Point, New York. His medal is held by Oneida County Historical Society, Utica, NY ; National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution (1896 design), Washington, DC.
Butterfield is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 34 credited to District of Columbia.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Seized the colors of the 83d Pennsylvania Volunteers at a critical moment and, under a galling fire of the enemy, encouraged the depleted ranks to renewed exertion.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Mexican-American War, American Civil War.
Life beyond the battlefield
- Occupations: businessperson
- Education: Union College
Source: Wikidata.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in District of Columbia →
Timeline
- October 31, 1831Born in Utica, Oneida County, New York
- June 27, 1862Act of valor — Gaines' Mill, VirginiaAge 30. U.S. Volunteers
- September 26, 1892Medal of Honor presented
- July 17, 1901Died in Cold Spring, New YorkAge 69.
- Resting placeU.S. Military Academy CemeteryWest Point, New York
Biography
Daniel Adams Butterfield (October 31, 1831 – July 17, 1901) was a New York businessman, a Union general in the U.S. Civil War, and Assistant Treasurer of the United States. After working for American Express, co-founded by his father, Butterfield served in the Civil War, where he was soon promoted brigadier general, and wounded at Gaines' Mill. While recuperating, he wrote a bugle call for burials, called Taps. He commanded a division at Fredericksburg, and then became General Joseph Hooker's chief of staff for the Army of the Potomac, sharing both the credit for improved morale and responsibility for the licentious behavior that Hooker tolerated in camp.
From the Wikipedia article “Daniel Butterfield”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
