James Martinus Schoonmaker

He Led the Charge That Broke the Enemy Line

James Martinus Schoonmaker was born on June 30, 1842, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When the American Civil War began, he was still a young man, but he quickly entered military service and developed a reputation as a capable cavalry officer. His wartime career ultimately brought him command of the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry and placed him at the center of the fierce campaigning in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

Schoonmaker entered Union service during the opening stages of the war. Cavalry operations demanded a combination of discipline, mobility, reconnaissance, and aggressive battlefield leadership. Mounted troops were expected to screen armies, gather intelligence, protect communications, pursue withdrawing forces, and, when conditions allowed, strike directly against enemy positions.

By 1862, Schoonmaker had risen to the rank of colonel and became associated with the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry. His regiment served extensively in operations in Virginia and West Virginia, where Union cavalry frequently confronted Confederate mounted forces and supported larger campaigns through difficult terrain.

The 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry became deeply involved in the Shenandoah Valley campaigns, a region of enormous strategic importance. The valley provided Confederate forces with a natural avenue of movement and supplied valuable agricultural resources, while Union commanders repeatedly attempted to prevent Confederate armies from using it as a corridor for operations toward Maryland and Pennsylvania.

By 1864, the struggle for control of the Shenandoah Valley had intensified.

Major General Philip Sheridan received command of Union forces in the valley and was tasked with defeating Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early. Sheridan’s campaign produced a series of major engagements that changed the military situation in the region.

One of the most important occurred at Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864.

The Third Battle of Winchester developed into a large and violent engagement as Union forces attacked Early’s army. Infantry formations fought fiercely across open ground and defensive positions, while cavalry maneuvered to exploit weaknesses in the Confederate line.

Colonel James Martinus Schoonmaker played a significant role in the battle.

Although formally a colonel, he was exercising brigade-level command responsibilities during the campaign. This reflected the confidence placed in him as a cavalry officer, but it did not change his substantive rank. His verified rank remained colonel.

During the fighting at Winchester, Schoonmaker led a cavalry charge against the Confederate left flank.

The attack demanded speed and determination.

Cavalry charges against defended positions could become extremely dangerous within moments. Horses and riders were vulnerable to concentrated rifle and artillery fire, and a charge that lost momentum could collapse before reaching its objective.

Schoonmaker pressed the attack forward.

Under his leadership, the cavalry struck the Confederate position, drove enemy troops from their works, and captured numerous prisoners.

The charge helped increase pressure on the Confederate flank at a decisive stage of the battle.

Union forces ultimately broke Early’s position and forced the Confederate army to retreat through Winchester. The victory became an important success in Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign and weakened Confederate control of the region.

Schoonmaker’s conduct on September 19, 1864, became the defining combat action of his military career.

For his leadership in that cavalry charge, he was later awarded the Medal of Honor.

The decoration was presented on May 19, 1899, nearly thirty-five years after the battle.

Such delays were not unusual among Civil War Medal of Honor recipients. Many wartime actions were formally recognized decades later after records, recommendations, eyewitness accounts, and official reports had been reviewed.

Schoonmaker’s Medal of Honor citation preserved the essential achievement of the Winchester action: he led a cavalry charge against the enemy’s left flank, drove Confederate troops from their defensive works, and captured many prisoners.

The award recognized leadership in direct combat rather than simply participation in the battle.

His broader military service extended well beyond the single action for which he received the Medal of Honor.

Schoonmaker and the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry operated during a period when Union cavalry was becoming increasingly effective as an independent battlefield force. By the later stages of the war, Federal cavalry formations were capable not only of reconnaissance and screening but also of conducting large offensive operations against Confederate infantry and cavalry.

The Third Battle of Winchester demonstrated that transformation.

Schoonmaker’s ability to lead mounted troops against an enemy flank illustrated the aggressive cavalry tactics that became increasingly important during the final year of the Civil War.

His qualifying Union Army service during the conflict is also represented by the Army Civil War Campaign Medal.

The Army Civil War Campaign Medal was established by the War Department in 1907 to recognize qualifying United States Army service during the Civil War. The year 1907 represents the establishment of the decoration rather than the year of Schoonmaker’s combat action.

For Schoonmaker, the two medals recognize different dimensions of his service.

The Medal of Honor commemorates his specific leadership and gallantry during the cavalry charge at Winchester on September 19, 1864.

The Army Civil War Campaign Medal represents his broader qualifying service as a Union Army officer during the Civil War.

No devices are associated with either decoration in his record.

Unlike many Civil War veterans, Schoonmaker lived long enough to witness both the formal recognition of his Medal of Honor action and the establishment of the Civil War Campaign Medal.

After the war, he became a prominent businessman and civic figure, particularly in Pittsburgh. His postwar career included extensive involvement in transportation and railroad enterprises, fields that were rapidly transforming the American economy in the decades following the Civil War.

His accomplishments in civilian life were substantial, but his military legacy remained firmly connected to the cavalry.

As the years passed, veterans of the Civil War increasingly gathered for reunions, battlefield commemorations, and memorial events. Their experiences became part of the historical record of the conflict, preserving the stories of individual regiments and commanders for later generations.

James Martinus Schoonmaker lived until October 11, 1927.

His life spanned from the years before the Civil War into the modern industrial age, but one moment remained central to his military story.

At Winchester on September 19, 1864, the Union line needed aggressive action against the Confederate flank.

Schoonmaker led the charge.

His cavalry drove Confederate troops from their works and captured prisoners, helping turn battlefield pressure into Union success.

More than three decades later, the United States formally recognized that leadership with the Medal of Honor.

Together with the Army Civil War Campaign Medal recognizing his broader service, his decorations preserve the story of a Union cavalry colonel who led from the front and helped break the enemy line during one of the decisive battles of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign.