Sylvester Bonnaffon Jr.

He Rallied His Men Through a Storm of Musket Fire

Sylvester Bonnaffon Jr. was born on September 14, 1844, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When the American Civil War engulfed the nation, he entered military service in Philadelphia on December 14, 1861, at only seventeen years of age. Beginning as a private in the 99th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, he advanced rapidly through the ranks, becoming a corporal in April 1862 and a sergeant the following month before receiving a commission as second lieutenant on August 1, 1862.

Serving with the Army of the Potomac, Bonnaffon experienced some of the hardest campaigning of the Civil War. The 99th Pennsylvania fought through operations that included Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Bristoe and Mine Run campaigns, and the brutal Overland Campaign of 1864. His regiment continued into the operations around Petersburg, where months of nearly continuous campaigning tested both the endurance and leadership of its officers and enlisted men.

By September 1864, Bonnaffon had been promoted to first lieutenant. On October 27, 1864, during the Battle of Boydton Plank Road in Virginia, Union forces came under intense Confederate pressure and portions of the command began to fall back in disorder. In the midst of heavy musket fire, Bonnaffon acted to halt the rout and rally the troops. Remaining exposed while restoring order under fire, he was severely wounded during the action. His conduct at Boydton Plank Road became the defining act of valor of his military career.

For his gallantry and meritorious wartime service, Bonnaffon later received brevet advancement to major and brevet lieutenant colonel, effective March 13, 1865. He was also promoted to captain on April 20, 1865. After surviving years of combat and the wound he had received at Boydton Plank Road, he completed his volunteer service and was honorably mustered out on July 1, 1865, having risen from an enlisted private to a commissioned officer and ultimately holding the distinguished brevet rank of lieutenant colonel.

Nearly three decades after the battle, Bonnaffon's actions at Boydton Plank Road received the nation's highest military recognition. On September 29, 1893, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for checking the rout and rallying his command while facing devastating musket fire, even as he suffered a severe wound. The award formally recognized the courage and leadership he had demonstrated as a first lieutenant on October 27, 1864.

Military service remained an important part of Bonnaffon's life after the Civil War. He became involved with the Pennsylvania National Guard and held a succession of leadership positions. During the labor unrest of 1877, he commanded the specially organized 20th Regiment Infantry, and he later commanded Pennsylvania's Third Infantry Regiment. His continued state military service extended the leadership experience he had first developed during the Civil War.

Outside his military responsibilities, Bonnaffon built a long civilian career in Philadelphia. Beginning in 1890, he worked at the Philadelphia Customs House, eventually advancing through positions that included examiner, assistant cashier, and cashier. He remained there until his retirement in 1920, maintaining close ties to the city in which he had been born and from which he had departed for military service as a teenager nearly six decades earlier.

Sylvester Bonnaffon Jr. died in Philadelphia on May 12, 1922, at the age of seventy-seven. He was buried at The Woodlands in Philadelphia. His legacy rests especially on the events of October 27, 1864, when, as a young first lieutenant amid the confusion and violence of battle, he stood against a retreat, rallied his soldiers under intense enemy fire, and continued his duty until he was severely wounded—an act of leadership ultimately recognized with the Medal of Honor.