Ovila "Frenchy" Cayer (February 9, 1844 – February 7, 1909) was a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

soldier in 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 ...

and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

, for his actions at the Battle of Globe Tavern.

Biography

Born in Saint-Rémi,

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(present-day

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

), Cayer immigrated to the Malone, New York,http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/civilwar/monterey/cayer.htm where he was known by the nickname "Frenchy". By the time of his enlistment in the U.S. Army in August 1861, his only surviving family was a brother living in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. During the war, he served as a

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

in Company A of the 14th Infantry Regiment. At 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 ...

in December 1862, he was captured but later was released and rejoined his unit. On the second day of 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 ...

, July 2, 1863, when his company was devastated by a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

attack, Cayer picked up a flag from a dead

color bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a Standard (flag), standard or Military colours, standards and guidons, military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible b ...

and rallied the troops. He was wounded in May of the next year at 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 ...

. On August 19, 1864, Cayer participated in the Battle of Globe Tavern near Petersburg, Virginia. After assaulting and capturing a railroad junction used by the Confederates to supply the besieged city of Petersburg, his unit prepared for an expected counterattack. When the attack came, all of the officers in Company A were killed or wounded. Cayer took command of the company and led it in the successful defense of their position. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor three years later, on February 15, 1867. His official Medal of Honor citation reads simply: "Commanded the regiment, all the officers being disabled." Cayer remained in the Army for two years after the end of the war until being discharged at Fort Yuma in February 1867. He traveled to northern California, first living in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, and then working as a farmer in Alameda County and later

Stanislaus County , image_skyline = , image_caption = Images, from top down, left to right: Modesto Arch, Knights Ferry's General Store, a view of the Tuolumne River from Waterford , image_flag = , i ...

. He eventually settled in Salinas, where he was a foreman at Spence Ranch (later owned by Spreckels Sugar Company) and operated a cigar store. He was active in many civic and fraternal organizations in Salinas, including the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. Admitted to Jim Bardin Hospital with intestinal trouble in February 1909, Cayer seemed to be making a recovery until his sudden death on February 7. He was buried at Garden of Memories Memorial Park in Salinas. On September 22, 2005, his grave marker was modified to add the words "Medal of Honor"; the headstone had previously made no mention of his military service.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cayer, Ovila 1844 births 1909 deaths Pre-Confederation Canadian emigrants to the United States People from Salinas, California Union Army soldiers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Canadian-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

See also

References

External links