David Sloan Stanley was born on June 1, 1828, at Cedar Valley, Ohio; he attended West Point, graduated in 1852, and was assigned to the Western frontier, including duty in Kansas and the Indian Territory. When the Civil War began, Stanley was a captain in the 1st U.S. Cavalry. He participated in the Wilson’s Creek campaign, and was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers in September 1861. He led a division at Island No. 10, Iuka, and Corinth and was promoted to major general, at Stones River. During the Atlanta campaign he commanded the 4th Army Corps, and was wounded at the Battle of Jonesboro.

On November 30, 1864, Stanley had his corps in position behind defensive works in Franklin, Tennessee. When Confederate General John Bell Hood’s Army of the Tennessee breached the Union line, Stanley led a successful counterattack, was wounded in the neck, and had his horse shot out from under him. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. His citation read, “At a critical moment rode to the front of one of his brigades, reestablished its lines, and gallantly led it in a successful assault.”

After the war, Stanley was appointed a colonel in the Regular Army and commanded the 22nd U.S. Infantry, primarily serving in the Dakota Territory. He died in March 1902 and is buried in the Soldiers Home Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Photograph by Williams & Cornwell, St. Louis, Mo.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31846