Description
Stanley entered West Point in July, 1848. Following his graduation, Stanley was promoted to second lieutenant and assigned to the 2nd U.S. Dragoons. For the next several years, Stanley continued to serve in the American West. On March 3, 1855, he was transferred to the 1st Cavalry and less than one month later, on March 27, he was promoted to first lieutenant. In 1856, Stanley and his regiment were sent to “Bloody Kansas” to help stifle the violent strife between “Free-soilers” and pro-slavery advocates. When the Civil War erupted, Stanley marched his command from Arkansas to Missouri and was employed in driving Confederate partisans, led by Sterling Price and Ben McCulloch, from the state. Promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in the volunteer army in September, 1861, he would brake his ankle shortly after while mounting an uncooperative horse, causing him to serve in a non-combat role until January 1862. Following his return, he was placed in command of the 1st Division of Major General John Pope’s Army of the Mississippi. Stanley’s Division participated in the Union operations at New Madrid and Island No. 10, which helped secure Union control of the Mississippi River down to Fort Pillow in Tennessee. Stanley was later engaged during Halleck’s Siege of Corinth, Mississippi and also in the subsequent pursuit of Confederate General P.G.T, Beauregard’s retreating Rebel army. Later he commanded the 2nd Division of the Army of the Mississippi at the Union victory at the Battle of Iuka, returning with the Army of the Mississippi to Corinth, where they successfully defended the town from a Confederate attack at the Battle of Corinth II. On November 24, 1862, Stanley was appointed as Chief of Cavalry of the Army of the Cumberland. One month later, Stanley’s cavalry participated in the Union victory at the Battle of Stones River, which earned him a promotion to major general. Stanley’s Division participated in operations around Dalton, Georgia, the Battle of Resaca, the Battle of Dallas, the Battle of Pickett’s Mills, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, and the Battle of Peachtree Creek. On July 30, 1864, Stanley was appointed to command the 4th Army Corps. Stanley led the 4th Corps throughout the remainder of the Atlanta Campaign, including at the Battle of Jonesborough where he was wounded. During the fighting at the Battle of Franklin, Stanley was wounded a second time, shot through the neck, putting him out of action until January 1865. On March 13, 1865, Stanley was brevetted to brigadier-general in the regular army for “Gallant and Meritorious Conduct” during the Battle of Ruff’s Station, Georgia on July 4, 1864, and he was brevetted to major general in the regular army for “Gallant and Meritorious Conduct” during the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. In June 1865, Stanley and his corps were sent to New Orleans, Louisiana on route to Texas, where they spent the remainder of the year. On March 29, 1893, the United States Congress paid homage to Stanley’s performance at the Battle of Franklin by awarding him the Congressional Medal of Honor. His citation noted that Stanley “At a critical moment rode to the front of one of his brigades, reestablished its lines, and gallantly led it in a successful assault.”.
