Henry Algernon du Pont

Henry Algernon du Pont was born on July 30, 1838, at Eleutherian Mills in New Castle County, Delaware, into the prominent du Pont family. He received his early education in private schools and entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1855. His academic path soon turned toward a military career, and in 1856 he left the university after receiving an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Du Pont distinguished himself academically at West Point and graduated first in his class on May 6, 1861. His graduation came at an extraordinary moment in American history. The Civil War had begun only weeks earlier, and newly commissioned officers were being sent immediately into active service. He was initially commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers and shortly afterward became a First Lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Artillery. His early assignments included service in the defenses of Washington and duty with artillery forces in Pennsylvania and New York. He also performed staff responsibilities as an acting assistant adjutant general while developing the experience that would eventually make him one of the Union Army's notable young artillery officers. Du Pont became closely associated with Light Battery B, 5th U.S. Artillery. He helped organize and later commanded the battery, serving with it in operations across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Artillery service demanded a combination of technical skill and battlefield leadership because battery commanders had to position guns under fire, manage ammunition and horses, coordinate with infantry, and decide when to stand, withdraw, or shift positions. On March 24, 1864, du Pont was promoted to Captain in the 5th U.S. Artillery. During the campaigns that followed, his responsibilities expanded considerably. He commanded Light Battery B during operations in the Shenandoah Valley and participated in the Battle of New Market in May 1864. Later that month, du Pont became chief of artillery for the Department of West Virginia. In that capacity he directed artillery during Major General David Hunter's operations through the Shenandoah Valley, including the Battle of Piedmont and the campaign toward Lynchburg. His duties required him to coordinate multiple artillery elements rather than merely command a single battery. By the summer of 1864, he was serving as chief of artillery of the Army of West Virginia and commanded the artillery brigade associated with General George Crook's corps during Major General Philip Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign. He took part in a series of engagements that included Berryville, the Battle of Third Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and eventually Cedar Creek. The Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864, became the defining action of du Pont's military career. Confederate forces under Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early launched a surprise attack before dawn and initially overwhelmed portions of the Union army. Federal formations were driven back in confusion, and the battlefield situation became extremely dangerous. As the Union line broke, du Pont remained with his artillery. Rather than abandoning the guns during the retreat, he deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire and worked to keep his men at their positions. His conduct helped steady the artillerymen at a moment when panic and disorganization threatened to spread through the retreating Federal forces. Du Pont encouraged his men to stand to their guns and continued directing their fire as Confederate troops advanced. His battery helped check the enemy long enough to prevent the retreat from becoming a complete disaster. He also succeeded in bringing off most of his artillery pieces rather than allowing them to fall into Confederate hands. The resistance provided by du Pont and other Union units helped buy time for the Federal army to reorganize. Major General Philip Sheridan eventually returned to the battlefield, rallied his soldiers, and launched a powerful counterattack. What had begun as a Confederate breakthrough ended as a decisive Union victory. Du Pont's courage at Cedar Creek was particularly notable because his official responsibilities might have allowed him to remain farther from the most exposed positions. Instead, he voluntarily placed himself under enemy fire at a critical moment and personally encouraged his artillerymen to continue fighting. His conduct was eventually recognized with the Medal of Honor. On April 2, 1898, more than thirty-three years after the Battle of Cedar Creek, Henry Algernon du Pont was presented with the nation's highest military decoration for his actions on October 19, 1864. The official recognition emphasized his distinguished gallantry, his voluntary exposure to enemy fire, his efforts to encourage his men to remain at their guns after the Union line had been broken, his role in checking the Confederate advance, and his success in withdrawing most of his artillery pieces. For the project database, du Pont's decoration belongs to the Medal of Honor 1896–1903 Army period because it was presented in 1898. The heroic action itself occurred in 1864, but the historical medal and ribbon representation corresponds to the era in which the award was actually issued. No clasp, star, bar, oak leaf cluster, or other device has been verified for his Medal of Honor. His final verified Medal of Honor entry therefore remains a single plain award. The Medal of Honor is also the only individual military decoration currently supported strongly enough for inclusion in du Pont's verified medal record. Although his Civil War service was extensive and he survived well into the twentieth century, no sufficiently strong recipient-specific evidence has been established showing that he personally received the later Army Civil War Campaign Medal. It is therefore not included in his final verified rack. Du Pont's military service continued after the Civil War. He commanded various artillery batteries and military posts and remained a Regular Army officer for another decade. His professional Army career included responsibilities at Fort Monroe and other installations, as well as work connected with the development and coordination of artillery, cavalry, and infantry tactics. His Civil War record also brought brevet recognition. His highest verified wartime rank was Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, reflecting distinguished service during the conflict. This should be distinguished from his actual rank of Captain at Cedar Creek, which was the rank he held when he performed the Medal of Honor action. In 1875, after approximately fourteen years of Regular Army service, du Pont resigned his commission and entered civilian business. He initially became involved with the family enterprise, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, but his principal postwar business career developed in the railroad industry. In 1879, he became president and general manager of the Wilmington and Northern Railroad. He remained closely associated with railroad management for many years, applying the organizational and administrative abilities developed during his military career to transportation and business. Du Pont later entered politics. In the 1890s, he became involved in a highly contested effort to represent Delaware in the United States Senate. A disputed legislative election in 1895 led to a lengthy Senate contest, but the Senate ultimately declined to seat him at that time. His political career did not end with that defeat. In 1906, the Delaware legislature elected Henry A. du Pont to the United States Senate. He served as a Republican senator from Delaware from June 1906 until March 1917. His Senate career reunited his military experience with public service. From 1911 to 1913, du Pont served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, the predecessor of the modern Senate Armed Services Committee. His leadership of the committee gave a former professional artillery officer a significant role in congressional consideration of military policy. Du Pont was one of the relatively small number of Medal of Honor recipients who later served in the United States Senate. His career therefore combined distinguished battlefield service with national legislative responsibility. After leaving the Senate in 1917, du Pont withdrew from national political office and devoted more of his time to private interests, agriculture, and writing. He lived at Winterthur, Delaware, where the du Pont family had long maintained deep social and economic roots. His life ultimately spanned several dramatically different periods of American history. He had graduated from West Point at the beginning of the Civil War, commanded artillery during some of the most important campaigns of 1864, remained a professional officer after the conflict, entered railroad management during the nation's period of industrial expansion, and later served in the United States Senate during the early twentieth century. Henry Algernon du Pont died on December 31, 1926, at Winterthur, Delaware, at the age of eighty-eight. He was buried in the Du Pont Family Cemetery in Delaware. His enduring military legacy remains centered on the Battle of Cedar Creek. On October 19, 1864, while serving as a Captain of the 5th U.S. Artillery, du Pont refused to abandon his responsibility when Union forces were collapsing around him. By remaining exposed under Confederate fire, encouraging his artillerymen to stand to their guns, helping check the enemy advance, and withdrawing most of his pieces, he demonstrated the battlefield leadership that later earned him the Medal of Honor. The United States formally recognized that action on April 2, 1898. Du Pont ultimately rose to the wartime distinction of Brevet Lieutenant Colonel and later built prominent careers in business and national politics. With no additional military decoration supported by sufficient recipient-specific evidence, the Medal of Honor 1896–1903 Army — 1898 remains his single verified medal and the defining official recognition of his Civil War service.