Julius Stahel

Julius H. Stahel-Számwald (born Gyula Számwald; November 5, 1825 – December 4, 1912) was a Hungarian soldier who emigrated to the United States and became a Union general in the American Civil War. After the war, he served as a U.S. diplomat, a mining engineer, and a life insurance company executive. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action at the Battle of Piedmont in 1864.

Birth and early years

Stahel was born in

Stahel rose to division command by late 1862 and was promoted to major general on March 14, 1863. He briefly commanded the XI Corps during the fall of 1862.

In March 1863 Stahel was assigned to command a Union cavalry division in the defenses of

By the spring of 1864, Stahel was commander of the 1st Cavalry Division under Franz Sigel in the Shenandoah Valley. At the Battle of New Market, on May 15, 1864, his division was on the left of Sigel's line. It attacked the Confederate line but was repulsed by artillery fire. The division recoiled under attack by the Confederate forces of John C. Breckinridge when they counterattacked.

At the Battle of Piedmont on June 5, 1864, serving as cavalry commander under Maj. Gen. David Hunter, Stahel distinguished himself under fire until he was hit in the shoulder. This led to Stahel's receiving the Medal of Honor, on November 4, 1893, for leading his division until seriously wounded. Stahel served, after recovering from his wound, on court-martial duty until he resigned on February 8, 1865.

Postbellum career

After the Civil War, Stahel served in the United States diplomatic corps as consul in

Stahel died in a New York City at 87 years of age. After a funeral in Washington, he was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Major General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Piedmont, Va., June 5, 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Born: November 5, 1825, Hungary. Date of issue: November 4, 1893.

Citation:

Led his division into action until he was severely wounded.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: Q–S
• List of American Civil War generals (Union)

Notes

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References

• "Civil War (M-Z); Stahel, Julius entry". Medal of Honor recipients. United States Army Center of Military History. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
• Eicher, John H., and
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• Engle, Stephen Douglas, The Yankee Dutchman : the life of Franz Sigel, Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press, 1993.
• Hennessy, John J., Return to Bull Run: The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas, University of Oklahoma Press, 1993,
  ISBN 0-8061-3187-X
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• Patchan, Scott C., The Battle of Piedmont, Virginia, Fredericksburg: Sgt. Kirkland's Press, 1996.
• Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). "Stahel, Julius" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
• Constantin von Wurzbach: "Szamwald, Julius." In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich (Biographical Lexicon of the Empire of Austria).  Part 41 Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1880, p. 149 (digitalised
  ).