David L. Cockley

David L. Cockley earned the Medal of Honor because he refused to remain safely behind the line while his regiment prepared to charge. Born in Lexington, Ohio, on 8 June 1843, Cockley served as an officer in Company L of the 10th Ohio Cavalry during the American Civil War. He held the rank of first lieutenant during his most celebrated action and later attained the rank of captain.

The 10th Ohio Cavalry served extensively in the Western Theater, participating in operations across Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas. During 1864, the regiment fought through the Atlanta Campaign before joining Major General William T. Sherman’s advance across Georgia. On 4 December, Union cavalry under Brigadier General Judson Kilpatrick engaged Confederate cavalry commanded by Major General Joseph Wheeler at Waynesboro. The fighting ended with the Confederate force driven through the town as Sherman’s armies continued toward Savannah.

Cockley was then serving temporarily as an aide-de-camp to a general officer. When he learned that the 10th Ohio Cavalry was preparing to charge, he asked for permission to leave his staff duties and rejoin the regiment. His first two requests were refused. Cockley asked a third time, received permission, and rode forward to join his comrades. He took his place at the head of the regiment and fought through the charge at Waynesboro. The official citation praised his persistence in seeking permission and recorded that he fought bravely at the regiment’s head throughout the action.

More than three decades later, on 2 August 1897, Cockley received the Medal of Honor for his conduct at Waynesboro. The award was presented during his lifetime and recognized his voluntary decision to leave a comparatively secure staff position in order to share the dangers faced by his regiment. He died on 26 December 1901 and was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Shelby, Ohio.

Cockley’s reconstructed modern honours entitlement consists of the Medal of Honor and the Civil War Campaign Medal. The latter is a retrospective service entitlement rather than an award he could have worn during his lifetime, since the Army Civil War Campaign Medal was established by War Department General Order No. 12 in 1907, six years after his death. It recognizes qualifying Army service between 15 April 1861 and 9 April 1865.

David L. Cockley’s courage was expressed not through a sudden accident of battle, but through a deliberate choice. Three times he asked to go where the fighting would be fiercest. When permission was finally granted, he rode to the front and led alongside the soldiers of his regiment, earning a permanent place among the Medal of Honor recipients of the American Civil War.