Daniel Adams Butterfield

Bravery Under Fire at Gaines' Mill Earned the Medal of Honor

Daniel Adams Butterfield (October 31, 1831 – July 17, 1901) was an American Civil War general, military reformer, businessman, and recipient of the United States Army Medal of Honor. He distinguished himself as a Brigadier General during the Battle of Gaines' Mill on June 27, 1862, when he seized the regimental colors of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers under heavy Confederate fire and rallied exhausted Union soldiers to renewed resistance. He subsequently attained the rank of Major General and became widely associated with the development of the famous military bugle call "Taps."

Butterfield was born in Utica, Oneida County, New York, to John Warren Butterfield and Malinda Harriet Baker. His father was a prominent businessman involved in transportation, express delivery, and communications services and was among the founders of the enterprise that became American Express. Growing up in an environment connected with expanding American commerce, Daniel developed an early interest in business, public affairs, and military organization.

He attended Union Academy and graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1849. After completing his education, he entered the business world, working in various commercial enterprises associated with his family's interests. His responsibilities included positions in express transportation and management, providing organizational experience that later proved useful during his military career.

Although Butterfield did not receive a formal education at the United States Military Academy, he developed an interest in military affairs through militia service. When the American Civil War began in April 1861, he joined the Union war effort and quickly assumed increasingly important responsibilities.

Butterfield initially served in the militia before becoming Colonel of the 12th New York Infantry. In September 1861, he received an appointment as Brigadier General of United States Volunteers. Despite his limited previous military experience, he emerged as an energetic commander who emphasized discipline, organization, and the welfare of his soldiers.

During the early stages of the Civil War, Butterfield participated in operations in Virginia and became associated with the Army of the Potomac. He later commanded a brigade in the division of Brigadier General George W. Morell, serving under Major General Fitz John Porter in the V Corps.

In the spring of 1862, Butterfield participated in Major General George B. McClellan's Peninsula Campaign, an attempt to capture Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. His brigade took part in the fighting at Hanover Court House on May 27, 1862, before becoming involved in the Seven Days Battles around Richmond.

On June 27, 1862, Butterfield demonstrated the extraordinary courage that would eventually earn him the Medal of Honor during the Battle of Gaines' Mill. Union troops defending positions north of the Chickahominy River faced powerful Confederate attacks as General Robert E. Lee sought to defeat portions of McClellan's army.

The fighting became increasingly desperate as Confederate forces repeatedly assaulted the Union defensive line. Butterfield's brigade, which included the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, suffered severe casualties during the engagement. The intensity of the fighting threatened the cohesion of several Union formations as exhausted and depleted soldiers struggled to maintain their positions.

At a critical moment, Butterfield personally seized the regimental colors of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers. Holding the flag while exposed to intense enemy fire, he encouraged the remaining soldiers to regroup and continue resisting the Confederate advance.

Regimental colors carried considerable military significance during the Civil War. They represented the identity and honor of a military unit and served as essential rallying points amid the smoke, noise, and confusion of battle. When formations became scattered or officers were wounded, the colors helped soldiers locate their units and restore their ranks.

By taking possession of the 83rd Pennsylvania's colors, Butterfield demonstrated personal leadership at a moment when his soldiers faced extraordinary danger. His actions inspired renewed resistance among the depleted ranks and became the defining act of gallantry recognized by his Medal of Honor citation.

Butterfield was wounded during the Battle of Gaines' Mill but survived and continued his military career. Although the Union forces eventually withdrew from their defensive positions, the resistance at Gaines' Mill formed an important part of the wider Seven Days Battles.

Following the campaign, Butterfield's command withdrew with the Army of the Potomac to Harrison's Landing on the James River in Virginia. During the army's period of recovery in July 1862, he made another contribution that would become one of the most enduring traditions in American military history.

Dissatisfied with the existing bugle call used to signal the end of the day, Butterfield worked with his brigade bugler, Private Oliver Willcox Norton of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, to introduce a more solemn and melodic call.

Butterfield adapted a sequence of notes from an earlier military bugle signal, and Norton helped refine and sound the arrangement. The resulting twenty-four-note melody became known as "Taps." Initially used to signal that soldiers should extinguish their lights and retire for the night, the melody gradually acquired a deeper commemorative meaning.

Over time, "Taps" became associated with military funerals, memorial services, and ceremonies honoring fallen service members. It remains one of the most recognizable musical traditions of the United States Armed Forces.

Butterfield continued his service during the Northern Virginia and Maryland campaigns of 1862, including the Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Antietam. He subsequently commanded larger formations within the V Corps and participated in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862.

His growing responsibilities were accompanied by advancement to Major General of United States Volunteers, establishing the highest rank of his military career. He also received recognition through brevet appointments in the Regular Army for his wartime service.

In January 1863, following Major General Joseph Hooker's appointment to command the Army of the Potomac, Butterfield became the army's chief of staff. In this senior administrative position, he helped supervise military communications, staff operations, planning, and the coordination of a large Union field army.

Butterfield was associated with organizational improvements introduced during Hooker's command. Among these was the widespread use of distinctive corps badges, which helped soldiers identify formations and strengthened unit organization. Although the practice drew upon earlier military identification systems, Butterfield played an important role in developing and standardizing the badges within the Army of the Potomac.

He served as chief of staff during the Chancellorsville Campaign in the spring of 1863. When Major General George G. Meade replaced Hooker shortly before the Battle of Gettysburg, Butterfield initially remained in his position.

During the Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, Butterfield served at army headquarters and helped coordinate staff activities during one of the most decisive engagements of the war. He was wounded on July 3, the final day of the battle, and subsequently left active duty for a period of recovery.

After his service in the eastern theater, Butterfield joined Union operations in the western theater. He served alongside General Hooker during the Chattanooga Campaign and later participated in Major General William T. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign in 1864.

His western assignments included senior staff responsibilities and command of a division within the XX Corps. These operations formed part of the Union's sustained effort to defeat Confederate forces in Georgia and secure control of Atlanta, a major Confederate transportation and industrial center.

Butterfield eventually withdrew from active campaigning because of illness and the cumulative effects of military service. By the conclusion of the Civil War, he had established a distinguished record encompassing brigade and division command, corps leadership, and senior administrative service.

Following the war, Butterfield remained connected with the Army while resuming his involvement in civilian affairs. He also wrote about military administration and field service, having published the instructional manual "Camp and Outpost Duty for Infantry" during the war.

In 1869, during the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, Butterfield served as Assistant Treasurer of the United States in New York City. His tenure became controversial during the financial crisis known as Black Friday, when speculation in the gold market created widespread economic disruption.

Questions arose concerning his financial dealings while holding public office. President Grant requested his resignation, and Butterfield left the Treasury position in 1869. Subsequent accounts differed over the extent of his involvement in the gold speculation, making the episode a disputed part of his civilian career.

After leaving public office, Butterfield returned to business and commercial activities. He maintained an interest in veterans' affairs and participated in commemorative events associated with the Civil War and the history of the United States Army.

More than thirty years after his heroic conduct at Gaines' Mill, Butterfield received formal recognition for his battlefield gallantry. On September 26, 1892, he was awarded the United States Army Medal of Honor.

The award specifically recognized his action in seizing the colors of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers under heavy enemy fire and encouraging the regiment's depleted soldiers to renew their efforts during the battle.

The Medal of Honor citation identified Butterfield's rank at the time of the action as Brigadier General of United States Volunteers. Although he later attained the rank of Major General, the award commemorated his personal courage and leadership as a brigade commander on June 27, 1862.

Butterfield remained involved in historical remembrance during his later years. In October 1897, he delivered an address at the dedication of a memorial at the Fishkill Supply Depot historic site in New York, reflecting his interest in preserving the memory of earlier American military service.

Daniel Adams Butterfield died on July 17, 1901, in Cold Spring, Putnam County, New York, at the age of sixty-nine. He was buried in the United States Military Academy Cemetery at West Point, New York, despite never having attended the academy.

His military career left a lasting influence on American Army traditions. As a combat commander, he received the Medal of Honor for personally rallying soldiers under fire at Gaines' Mill. As a senior officer, he contributed to army organization and the development of military identification practices. His association with the bugle call "Taps" established an additional legacy extending far beyond the Civil War.

Daniel Adams Butterfield is remembered both for his battlefield gallantry and for his contributions to American military customs. His courageous action with the colors of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers remains the defining achievement recognized by the Medal of Honor, while the solemn notes of "Taps" continue to honor generations of American service members.