Isaac Harding Duval (September 1, 1824 – July 10, 1902) was an adventurer and businessman prior to becoming a brigadier general 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 was a

reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

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

from

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

in the

41st United States Congress The 41st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869, ...

Early life and career

Duval was born and raised in

Wellsburg, West Virginia Wellsburg is a city in and the county seat of Brooke County, West Virginia, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded a population of 2,455. It is a part of the Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area. The city's econom ...

(then Virginia) in Brooke County. He attended the

common schools A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary ...

as a child. As a young man, he traveled to

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sebastian County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...

, where he joined an elder brother who was running a trading post. Afterward, he became a scout on the Western Plains and

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

, and joined the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

in 1849. He was a member of the Lopez expedition to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

that sought to aid the Cuban national independence movement. After his time as a

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...

, he returned to Wellsburg in 1853 and worked as a merchant.

Civil War

During the Civil War, Duval was commissioned as the first

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of the 1st Virginia Volunteer Infantry on June 1, 1861. He was later promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the 9th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry. In September 1864, he was badly wounded in his thigh at the

Battle of Opequon The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confede ...

. After he recovered, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and given charge of a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

in the

VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Arm ...

. By the end of the war, Duval had fought in 36 separate engagements and commanded two different

divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...

in the VIII Corps. He had eleven horses killed and wounded under him. On May 17, 1865, after the surrender of the main Confederate armies under Generals Lee and Johnston, but with some other Confederate units still in the field in the west, an unknown attacker tried to kill Duval at Staunton, Virginia.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: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 220 Duval was mustered out of the volunteer service on January 15, 1866. On February 24, 1866,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 Duval for appointment to the brevet grade of major general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on May 4, 1866.Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 711

Postbellum career

After completing his Union Army service, Duval returned to West Virginia, where he served as member of the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the West Virginia Democratic Party, Democratic P ...

and as the state's adjutant general from 1867 to 1869. He was elected as a Republican to the Forty-first Congress (March 4, 1869–March 3, 1871). He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1870. He then served as States Assessor of Internal Revenue in 1871 and 1872. He worked as the U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the first district of West Virginia from 1872 to 1884. He served as member of the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature in West Virginia. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular se ...

from 1887 to 1889. Duval died in Wellsburg, West Virginia, on July 10, 1902, and was buried at Brooke Cemetery. His country home, known as the Gen. I.H. Duval Mansion, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . Retrieved on 2008-02-12

External links

Duval biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duval, Isaac Harding 1824 births 1902 deaths American filibusters (military) Union army generals People of West Virginia in the American Civil War People from Wellsburg, West Virginia Military personnel from West Virginia Republican Party West Virginia state senators Republican Party members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the West Virginia Legislature