John Vale

Sixteen Men Stood Against a Cavalry Charge

John Vale was born on August 9, 1836, in London, England. He later immigrated to the United States and settled in Minnesota, where he entered Union service during the American Civil War. He joined Company H of the 2nd Minnesota Infantry and began a military career that would carry him through several years of demanding wartime service.

By early 1863, Vale was serving as a private while Union forces operated across Tennessee. On February 15, he became part of a small detachment of just sixteen soldiers assigned to protect a wagon train near Nolensville.

The danger came suddenly. Approximately 125 Confederate cavalrymen moved against the position, giving the Union detachment little numerical advantage and almost no margin for error. Vale and the other soldiers were forced to defend the train against a much larger mounted force.

Instead of breaking under the pressure, the small detachment held its ground. Vale helped warn the others of the approaching Confederate cavalry and then took part in the defense as the attack developed. The sixteen men maintained their resistance and ultimately drove off the much larger enemy force.

Their stand prevented the wagon train from falling into Confederate hands and became one of the most remarkable episodes of Vale’s wartime service. The action at Nolensville demonstrated how discipline, preparation, and determination could allow a small group of soldiers to survive an attack by a force many times its size.

Vale continued serving with the 2nd Minnesota Infantry after Nolensville. On December 15, 1863, he reenlisted as a Veteran Volunteer, choosing to remain in military service rather than leave when his original term approached its end.

His continued service carried him through the closing years of the Civil War. During his Army career he advanced to the rank of sergeant, the highest verified rank he held before leaving military service in July 1865.

More than three decades after the fight at Nolensville, Vale’s role in the defense of the wagon train was formally recognized. On September 11, 1897, he received the Medal of Honor for the courage displayed by the small Union detachment that resisted the overwhelming Confederate cavalry attack on February 15, 1863.

After the war, Vale lived for many years in the Midwest. He died on February 4, 1909, in Davenport, Iowa, and was buried at Oakdale Cemetery.

John Vale’s Medal of Honor story was not built around a lone charge or the capture of an enemy flag. It came from standing beside fifteen other soldiers when a much larger cavalry force closed in. Outnumbered and under attack, they refused to abandon the wagon train. Their successful defense became the action that earned Vale the Medal of Honor and preserved his place among the recognized heroes of the American Civil War.