Ovila Cayer

When the Officers Fell, a Sergeant Took Command

Ovila Cayer (February 9, 1844 – February 7, 1909) was a Canadian-born American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient who distinguished himself during the American Civil War. Serving as a sergeant in Company A of the 14th United States Infantry, he received national recognition for assuming battlefield command during the fighting at Weldon Railroad, Virginia, on August 19, 1864. His actions during the engagement, also known as the Battle of Globe Tavern, earned him the Medal of Honor on February 15, 1867.

Cayer was born in Saint-Rémi, Canada East, now part of Quebec, Canada, on February 9, 1844. Details of his early childhood and education remain limited. As a young man, he immigrated to the United States and settled in Malone, Franklin County, New York, where he became known by the nickname "Frenchy."

By the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Cayer was living in New York. In August of that year, at seventeen years of age, he enlisted in the United States Army. He joined the 14th United States Infantry, a Regular Army regiment organized during the expansion of federal military forces following the beginning of the conflict.

Cayer served in Company A, eventually attaining the rank of sergeant. His duties included helping maintain discipline, directing enlisted soldiers, and carrying out orders from commissioned officers. These responsibilities became particularly important during the prolonged military campaigns in Virginia.

The 14th United States Infantry served with the Army of the Potomac and participated in several major operations in the Eastern Theater. Its wartime service included the battles of Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness, as well as the extended campaign against Confederate positions around Petersburg.

During the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, Cayer was reportedly captured by Confederate forces. Later biographical accounts state that he was subsequently released and returned to his regiment, allowing him to continue his military service.

The following year, the 14th United States Infantry participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. The regiment fought as part of the Regular Army brigade in the Union Fifth Corps during the severe fighting on July 2, 1863.

Later accounts of Cayer's service describe his recovery of a fallen color bearer's flag during the engagement. They credit him with helping rally soldiers after the bearer had been struck. Although the incident appears in subsequent biographical narratives, the surviving Medal of Honor documentation does not identify it as his officially recognized act of gallantry.

In May 1864, Cayer's regiment participated in the Overland Campaign, during which Union forces under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant confronted General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Later accounts also record that Cayer was wounded during the Battle of the Wilderness.

By the summer of 1864, the Army of the Potomac had advanced to Petersburg, Virginia, where Union forces began an extended effort to disrupt the transportation networks supplying the Confederate army.

The Weldon Railroad was particularly important because it provided a connection between Petersburg and Confederate supply routes extending southward into North Carolina. Union commanders recognized that controlling or destroying sections of this railroad would weaken the Confederate logistical system.

In August 1864, the Union Fifth Corps, commanded by Major General Gouverneur K. Warren, advanced toward the railroad south of Petersburg. The operation developed into the Battle of Globe Tavern, fought from August 18 through August 21.

The 14th United States Infantry participated in the advance as part of the brigade of Regular Army regiments assigned to the Fifth Corps. On August 18, Union troops reached the railroad and began occupying positions intended to prevent Confederate forces from restoring control of the line.

The following day, August 19, Confederate infantry launched a counterattack against the Union positions. The fighting became increasingly confused as Confederate troops penetrated sections of the federal line and threatened the flanks of nearby units.

The Regular Army brigade faced intense pressure during the engagement. Confederate fire and the disruption of the Union formations caused substantial casualties and left several units struggling to maintain their positions.

It was during these circumstances that Sergeant Ovila Cayer performed the action for which he would later receive the Medal of Honor.

According to his official award citation, Cayer assumed command of the regiment after its officers had been disabled. His recognized action involved taking responsibility for battlefield leadership when the normal chain of command had been disrupted by casualties.

Contemporary reports confirm that the 14th United States Infantry was heavily engaged and that its officers had suffered significant casualties or incapacitating injuries. The surviving accounts do not fully establish the precise duration or extent of Cayer's temporary command, but his assumption of leadership was subsequently recognized by the War Department.

The Confederate attack inflicted severe losses on the Union Regular Army units. Several soldiers were killed or captured, and the brigade was forced to adjust its positions as the battle continued.

Despite these setbacks, Union forces ultimately retained control of the important section of the Weldon Railroad. The fighting around Globe Tavern contributed to the continuing Union effort to isolate Petersburg from Confederate supply routes.

Cayer remained associated with the United States Army after the Civil War ended in April 1865. Unlike many volunteer soldiers who returned immediately to civilian life, he continued his Regular Army service during the postwar period.

His military career concluded in February 1867, when he was discharged at Fort Yuma, a United States Army post near the Colorado River in the American Southwest.

On February 15, 1867, Cayer received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Weldon Railroad on August 19, 1864. The award formally recognized his battlefield leadership when the officers of his command had been disabled during the Confederate counterattack.

Following his discharge, Cayer traveled to California and began building a civilian life. He initially lived in San Francisco before moving into agricultural work in other parts of the state.

He worked as a farmer in Alameda County and later in Stanislaus County. These occupations formed part of his transition from military service to civilian employment after more than five years in the United States Army.

Cayer eventually settled in Salinas, Monterey County, California. There, he became foreman of the Spence Ranch, an agricultural property that later became associated with the Spreckels Sugar Company.

His responsibilities as a ranch foreman involved supervising agricultural operations and workers. He subsequently operated a cigar store in Salinas, establishing another occupation within the local community.

Cayer also participated in civic and fraternal organizations. He was associated with the Freemasons and maintained connections within Salinas during his later years.

In February 1909, Cayer was admitted to Jim Bardin Hospital in Salinas for treatment of an intestinal illness. Contemporary local accounts indicate that his condition initially appeared to improve before he died unexpectedly on February 7, 1909, two days before his sixty-fifth birthday.

He was buried at Garden of Memories Memorial Park in Salinas, California, in the cemetery's older section, Block 26, Lot 5.

For many years, his grave marker did not identify his Medal of Honor service. On September 22, 2005, the marker was updated to acknowledge his military decoration, providing visible recognition of his Civil War service at his burial site.

Ovila Cayer's documented military distinction remains his battlefield leadership during the Battle of Globe Tavern on August 19, 1864. A Canadian-born soldier who entered the United States Army as a teenager, he served through the Civil War and continued his military career afterward. His Medal of Honor commemorates his willingness to assume command when officers were disabled during one of the Union Army's engagements against the Confederate defenses near Petersburg.