Cecil Clay (February 13, 1842 – September 23, 1903) was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of Company K in the 58th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He performed gallantly while wounded, earning the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his actions during the assault and capture of

Fort Harrison Fort Harrison, later renamed Fort Burnham, was an important component of the Confederate defenses of Richmond during the American Civil War. Named after Lieutenant William Harrison, a Confederate engineer,Hannings, p. 566 it was the largest in th ...

, Virginia in the

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defenses of

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, on September 29, 1864. He was later chief clerk of the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

Early life

Clay was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, on February 13, 1842.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 176 As an undergraduate at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, he joined the fraternity

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Civil war

Clay was first lieutenant on September 1, 1861, and captain on January 1, 1862, of company K of the 58th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was promoted to Major on September 30, 1864, and to Lieutenant Colonel on November 19, 1864. Clay earned the

while serving with the 58th Pennsylvania on September 29, 1864, at

, Virginia, where he was wounded in action, losing his right arm and severely wounded in the left arm while leading a charge, carrying the colors of another regiment. The medal was actually issued on April 19, 1892. Clay was mustered out of the volunteer service on January 24, 1866. On February 24, 1866,

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Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

nominated Clay for appointment to the brevet grade of brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

confirmed the appointment on April 10, 1866.

Later life

After the war, Clay became a lumber merchant. He was President of the St. Lawrence Boom and Manufacturing Company in 1870. From 1883 to 1903, he was chief clerk and general Agent, United States Department of Justice. He was a colonel in the 2nd egimentD.C. National Guard, 1887–1897. He also was President, Board of Reform School, Washington, D.C. He was elected Companion No. 00149 in the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

(MOLLUS), through the Commandery of Pennsylvania, on February 7, 1866. He later became a charter member of the Commandery of the District of Columbia, when it formed in 1882. The MOLLUS was the first post-Civil War veterans' organization, founded by and for commissioned officers of the Union armed forces.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Captain, Company K, 58th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Harrison, Va., September 29, 1864. Entered service at:––––––. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: April 19, 1892. Citation:

Led his regiment in the charge, carrying the colors of another regiment, and when severely wounded in the right arm, incurring loss of same, he shifted the colors to the left hand, which also became disabled by a gunshot wound.

Death

Clay died September 23, 1907, at Washington, D.C. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

, Virginia.Burial Detail: Clay, Cecil (section 2, grave 1012)
– ANC Explorer

Notes

;References * Eicher, John H., and

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * "Register of the Commandery of the State of Pennsylvania, April 15, 1865 – September 1, 1902". Philadelphia, 1902.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clay, Cecil Union army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients 1842 births 1903 deaths Union army generals Military personnel from Philadelphia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War