August Dorley

Captured an enemy flag at Mount Pleasant

August Dorley received the Medal of Honor for capturing a flag during the American Civil War. On 11 April 1865, he served as a private in Company B, 1st Louisiana Cavalry, U.S. Army, at Mount Pleasant, Alabama.

Born in Germany in 1842, Dorley is also recorded under the name August Doerle. His Medal of Honor service was accredited to Natchez, Mississippi. The brief official citation identifies the flag capture as the act for which he received the nation's highest military decoration.

Official Medal of Honor citation

“Capture of flag.”

Dorley survived the war and received his award during his lifetime. He died on 17 October 1867 and was buried in Natchez City Cemetery, Mississippi. His recorded service links a German-born Union cavalryman with the closing weeks of the Civil War and preserves the flag capture at Mount Pleasant.