Daniel Bedford Moore

Saving a Wounded Officer Under Fire at Fort Blakely

Daniel Bedford Moore (June 12, 1838 – July 2, 1914) was an American Civil War soldier and recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor. Serving with Company E of the 11th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, he distinguished himself during the Battle of Fort Blakely, Alabama, on April 9, 1865, when he risked his life to rescue a wounded Union officer who had been overwhelmed by Confederate soldiers. His recorded rank at the time of the action was Corporal, while his highest recognized military rank was Brevet Captain. His extraordinary bravery was formally acknowledged with the Medal of Honor on August 8, 1900.

Moore was born in Mifflin, Iowa County, Wisconsin Territory, nearly a decade before Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848. He grew up in a region experiencing rapid settlement and development as communities expanded across the American frontier. By the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Moore was twenty-three years old and living in southwestern Wisconsin.

On September 9, 1861, Moore enlisted in Company E of the 11th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, answering the Union's call for soldiers during the early months of the war. The regiment was formally mustered into federal service at Madison, Wisconsin, on October 18, 1861, before receiving orders to move south.

The 11th Wisconsin initially served in Missouri and Arkansas, performing railroad protection, patrol, and other military duties. As the war progressed, the regiment became involved in significant Union campaigns throughout the Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast regions.

In 1863, the regiment participated in the Vicksburg Campaign under Union forces operating against Confederate positions along the Mississippi River. Its service included the battles of Champion Hill and Big Black River Bridge, followed by the Siege of Vicksburg, which ended in a decisive Union victory on July 4, 1863.

Following the Vicksburg Campaign, the 11th Wisconsin continued serving in Louisiana and the Gulf region. Its assignments included expeditions, defensive operations, and the protection of important transportation and supply routes. During 1864, Company E was temporarily assigned to duty at Tigerville, Louisiana, before rejoining the regiment.

By early 1865, Union commanders were preparing to capture Mobile, Alabama, one of the Confederacy's remaining important ports. The 11th Wisconsin joined the campaign against the Confederate fortifications defending the approaches to the city, including Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely.

The Battle of Fort Blakely became one of the final major engagements of the American Civil War. Confederate forces commanded by Brigadier General St. John R. Liddell occupied fortified defensive positions consisting of earthworks, artillery emplacements, and protective obstacles. Union forces under Major General Edward R. S. Canby surrounded the defenses and prepared for a coordinated assault.

On April 9, 1865, Union troops launched their attack against Fort Blakely. The assault exposed advancing soldiers to Confederate rifle and artillery fire as they attempted to cross difficult ground and penetrate the fortifications.

During the fighting, a Union officer, identified in later regimental accounts as First Lieutenant Angus R. McDonald of the 11th Wisconsin Infantry, was seriously wounded while leading an advanced party against the Confederate defenses.

As McDonald fell, Confederate soldiers overwhelmed him, placing his life in immediate danger. Moore, serving as a Corporal, recognized the desperate situation and moved to assist the wounded officer despite the danger to himself.

According to later accounts of the engagement, Moore seized a fallen Confederate soldier's musket and fired upon an enemy soldier attacking McDonald. His intervention stopped the immediate threat and enabled the wounded officer to survive.

Moore's actions demonstrated exceptional courage under battlefield conditions in which hesitation could have resulted in the officer's death. He placed himself in danger to protect a fellow soldier rather than remain in relative safety.

The fighting ended with Union troops successfully breaking through the Confederate defenses and capturing Fort Blakely. Moore was also reported to have been wounded during the engagement.

The battle occurred on the same day that General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Although the war was approaching its conclusion, the soldiers fighting at Fort Blakely remained engaged in a deadly struggle.

The capture of Fort Blakely helped open the way for Union forces to occupy Mobile on April 12, 1865. The victory represented an important achievement in the final phase of the conflict.

Following the battle, the 11th Wisconsin continued its military duties in Alabama. The regiment advanced toward Montgomery and subsequently returned to Mobile, where it remained until its service concluded in September 1865.

Moore's military service ended in September 1865. His later recorded military status included the honorary rank of Brevet Captain, distinguishing his highest recognized rank from his rank of Corporal during the action for which he received the Medal of Honor. The brevet designation did not necessarily signify that he had held a permanent captain's commission.

After leaving military service, Moore survived for nearly five decades, witnessing the transformation of the United States during the postwar period. His wartime experience remained associated with the 11th Wisconsin Infantry and the final campaigns against Confederate forces in Alabama.

More than thirty-five years after his courageous intervention at Fort Blakely, Moore received formal recognition for his actions. On August 8, 1900, the United States awarded him the Medal of Honor for risking his life to save an officer who had been wounded and overpowered by a numerically superior enemy force.

The Medal of Honor citation specifically identified Moore as a Corporal of Company E, 11th Wisconsin Infantry, recognizing his bravery during the April 9, 1865, engagement.

At the time of his award, the Army Medal of Honor retained its original nineteenth-century medal design but used the revised ribbon introduced in 1896. This historically appropriate version distinguished Moore's 1900 award from both the earlier Civil War-era ribbon and the redesigned medal introduced in 1904.

Daniel Bedford Moore died on July 2, 1914, at the age of seventy-six. He was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Mineral Point, Iowa County, Wisconsin.

Moore's military legacy rests upon an extraordinary act of courage during one of the final major battles of the American Civil War. His willingness to risk his own life to protect a wounded officer reflected the highest ideals of military comradeship and personal sacrifice. His Medal of Honor remains a lasting recognition of his bravery at Fort Blakely, while his progression from Corporal to the honorary rank of Brevet Captain forms an important distinction in the historical record of his military career.