David H. Scofield

David H. Scofield was born on December 10, 1840, in Mamaroneck, Westchester County, New York. During the American Civil War, he entered service with the United States Army and became a member of Company K, 5th New York Cavalry. His wartime career placed him in a regiment that saw extensive cavalry service in Virginia and other parts of the Eastern Theater.

Scofield served as a Quartermaster Sergeant and later reached the rank of Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, the highest verified rank associated with his military service. As a cavalry noncommissioned officer, he was part of a mounted regiment whose duties included reconnaissance, screening, pursuit, escort, raiding, and direct combat.

The 5th New York Cavalry developed a strong combat record during the Civil War. By 1864, the regiment was serving in the Shenandoah Valley and formed part of the Union cavalry forces operating under Major General Philip Sheridan. The regiment was assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Division, commanded by Brigadier General George A. Custer.

Scofield’s defining military action occurred during the Battle of Cedar Creek in Virginia on October 19, 1864. Cedar Creek became one of the major engagements of Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign and a decisive Union victory.

The battle began with a powerful Confederate surprise attack that initially drove much of the Union army from its positions. As the day progressed, the Union forces reorganized and launched a counterattack that reversed the course of the battle.

Union cavalry played an important role during the counteroffensive. Custer’s cavalry division pressed against the Confederate forces as the Union advance developed, and the retreating Confederate army came under increasingly heavy pressure.

During this fighting, David H. Scofield distinguished himself personally in combat. Serving as Quartermaster Sergeant with the 5th New York Cavalry, he captured the battle flag of the 13th Virginia Infantry, a Confederate regiment engaged at Cedar Creek.

The capture of an enemy battle flag carried considerable military significance during the Civil War. Regimental colors were used to identify and rally units on chaotic battlefields. They served as visible points around which soldiers formed, advanced, and maintained cohesion.

Because color bearers and their escorts were frequently exposed to intense fire, capturing an enemy flag often required a soldier to move directly into dangerous close combat. The loss of colors was also regarded as a serious symbolic and tactical blow to a regiment.

Scofield’s capture of the 13th Virginia Infantry’s flag was therefore recognized as an act of exceptional battlefield gallantry.

For his actions at Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864, David H. Scofield was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Unlike many Civil War soldiers whose Medal of Honor recognition came decades after their heroic actions, Scofield received his award remarkably quickly. His Medal of Honor was issued on October 26, 1864, only seven days after the battle.

His official citation was concise: “Capture of flag of 13th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.).”

The Medal of Honor had been established during the Civil War as the highest military decoration of the United States. The Army Medal of Honor was authorized in 1862, and battlefield actions involving the capture or protection of regimental colors became an important category of Civil War Medal of Honor recognition.

Scofield’s decoration belongs to the historical Army Medal of Honor period represented in the project database as Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army. No additional clasp, star, bar, or other device is associated with his Medal of Honor.

The Battle of Cedar Creek marked the high point of Scofield’s recorded combat distinction. His action occurred during a battle that had major consequences for the Shenandoah Valley. The Union victory severely weakened Confederate military power in the region and helped secure Union control of the Valley.

The 5th New York Cavalry continued its service after Cedar Creek. The regiment remained active in the Shenandoah Valley and later performed escort and other duties as the war moved toward its conclusion.

The regiment’s wartime experience had been extensive. It had participated in numerous battles, raids, scouts, and skirmishes and had developed a reputation for active cavalry service. Scofield’s Medal of Honor action became one of the individual acts of gallantry most closely associated with the regiment.

His status as a Quartermaster Sergeant is also important to understanding his military career. Although the title reflected responsibilities involving supplies and logistical administration, Scofield was still a cavalry soldier operating with a combat regiment. His action at Cedar Creek demonstrates that his duties did not prevent him from participating directly in battlefield operations.

He later held the rank of Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, a senior enlisted position carrying significant responsibility within the regiment. This was the highest verified rank of his service.

The distinction between his rank during the Medal of Honor action and his highest rank should therefore be preserved. At Cedar Creek, he was recorded as Quartermaster Sergeant. His highest verified rank was Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant.

The 5th New York Cavalry remained in Federal service until 1865. After four years of demanding wartime duty, the regiment returned to New York for final discharge in July 1865, bringing its Civil War service to an end.

Scofield survived the war and lived for another four decades. His Medal of Honor remained the principal national recognition of his military service and permanently associated his name with the Battle of Cedar Creek.

David H. Scofield died on September 30, 1905, in Bath, New York. He was buried at Slasson Cemetery in Darien, Connecticut.

His legacy rests primarily on the events of October 19, 1864. During a major Civil War cavalry engagement, Scofield personally captured the colors of the 13th Virginia Infantry and received the Medal of Honor only days later.

David H. Scofield is remembered as a United States Army cavalryman, a senior enlisted soldier of the 5th New York Cavalry, and a Medal of Honor recipient whose battlefield courage at Cedar Creek earned him a permanent place in American military history.