Daniel Woodall was an American

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

army officer during the period of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He served in the

1st Delaware Infantry Regiment The 1st Delaware Infantry Regiment, later known as the 1st Delaware Veteran Infantry Regiment was a United States volunteer infantry regiment raised for Union Army service in the American Civil War. Part of the II Corps it served in the Eastern T ...

, and fought in the Eastern Theater. Daniel Woodall was born on June 1, 1841, in

Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...

. Woodall worked as a civil engineer when the

erupted. Volunteering for the

, a volunteer unit mustered for 3 months of service in early 1861, he was commissioned a second lieutenant of Company H. When the regiment's enlistment term ended in August it was rebuilt in Wilmington for a service time of 3 years. As the regimental officers were to be appointed again Woodall was named Captain of Company F on September 28, 1861.Eicher, p. 580 The regiment was assigned to the

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

; for service in the Eastern Theater. Leading his men into the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

on September 17, 1862, Woodall was shot in the arm. After the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

Woodall was promoted to major on December 30, 1862. In the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

on May 3, 1863, Woodall was wounded again, this time by an artillery shell hitting his left leg calf. Being on convalescence leave until late July he missed the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

. On July 30, 1863 Woodall was detached from the regiment and temporarily took command of the

39th New York Infantry Regiment The 39th New York Infantry Regiment, known as the "Garibaldi Guard" after the Italian revolutionary, Giuseppe Garibaldi, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service This regiment was muster ...

that was attached to the same brigade. At the Battle of Bristoe Station Major Woodall, serving with his Delawarians again, led half of the regiment as brigade skirmishers and was praised by his brigade (and regiment) commander, Colonel

Thomas Alfred Smyth Thomas Alfred Smyth (December 25, 1832 – April 9, 1865) was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was the last Union general killed in the war. In March 1867, he was nominated and confirmed a brevet major ge ...

. Woodall was promoted to lieutenant colonel on November 5, 1863 and led the regiment into the Mine Run Campaign. On court martial duty in February 1864, he returned to fight in the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

and the

Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 1864 ...

. He was shot through the foot at Spotsylvania but returned to command his regiment during the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

and the Siege of Petersburg. When Smyth was promoted to brigadier general Woodall became colonel of the 1st Delaware, which he actually commanded for nearly a year already; and he was promoted on December 23, 1864. He was in brigade command during parts of the Appomattox Campaign. He was mustered out of the volunteers with his regiment on July 12. At this time Woodall was one of the only four original officers from 1861 still serving with the regiment. On January 13, 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. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

nominated Wildrick for appointment to the grade of

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of volunteers ''for gallant and meritorious service in the War'', to rank from June 15, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. After the war Woodall moved to

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...

, where he was appointed as district assessor for the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

. When the office was abolished in 1872 he became a local farmer. In 1880, aged just 39, he unexpectedly died on his farm on August 2. Woodall was buried on Old Drawyers Presbyterian Churchyard at Odessa, Delaware.

Notes

Sources & References

* * *U.S. War Department; ''The War of the Rebellion : a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies.''; Series I, Washington, D.C.; 1880-1898

Notes

Sources & References

See also