David Hillhouse Buel (soldier)

David Hillhouse Buel (September 19, 1839 – July 22, 1870) was a United States Army officer who rose to the rank of brevet major and lieutenant colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born in Michigan, he attended the United States Military Academy, and eventually became Chief of Ordnance of the Army of the Tennessee and fought in the First Battle of Bull Run. He was killed by a soldier at Fort Leavenworth, whom he had imprisoned for desertion.

David Hillhouse Buel
David Hillhouse Buel in 1861
Born	September 19, 1839 Marshall, Michigan, U.S.
Died	July 22, 1870 (aged 30) Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
Buried	Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery
Branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1861–1870
Rank	Captain Brevet Lieutenant Colonel
Battles/wars	American Civil War First Battle of Bull Run Atlanta Campaign Sherman's March to the Sea Carolinas Campaign
Alma mater	United States Military Academy
Children	David Hillhouse Buel

Early life

David Hillhouse Buel was born on September 19, 1839, in Marshall, Michigan to Samuel Buel and Jane Buel née Wilmer.[1] He enrolled as a cadet at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York on September 1, 1857, graduating on June 24, 1861.[2]

He married Josephine Maria McDougal on September 28, 1861 in Poughkeepsie, New York. His father presided over the marriage ceremony. McDougal was born on June 16, 1839 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was the daughter of Brigadier General Charles McDougall, a surgeon in the Army. Buel had two children. His daughter, Josephine Maria Buel, was born on February 13, 1866; she later changed her name to Violet McDougal. His son, David Hillhouse Buel, was born on June 19, 1862,[1] and became a Jesuit priest and the president of Georgetown University, before converting and becoming an Episcopal minister.[3]

Military career

Buel served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was appointed the commanding officer of the Kennebec Arsenal in Augusta, Maine,[4] before becoming the commanding officer of the Leavenworth Arsenal at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.[5] He became Chief of Ordnance of the Army of the Tennessee. He was a brevetted major and later lieutenant colonel in the Ordnance Corps.[6]

On July 22, 1870, Buel attended a party at the house of Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis.[7] While exiting his carriage in which he was returned from the party, he was shot and killed by a soldier,[1] whom he had imprisoned in the guardhouse for desertion.[2] His widow married Buel's uncle, Oliver Prince Buel, on December 1, 1875, at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri.[1]

References

Citations

1. Hillhouse 1924, p. 78
2. Thayer, Bill (October 9, 2013). "George W. Cullum's Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy: David H. Buel". penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
3. Obituary Record 1921, pp. 735–736
4. Official Army Register 1869, p. 200
5. Official Army Register 1870, p. 203
6. District of Columbia 1908, p. 60
7. "Obituary: Col. David H. Buel". The New York Times. July 24, 1870. p. 4.

Sources

• District of Columbia: Concise Biographies of Its Prominent and Representative Contemporary Citizens, and Valuable Statistical Data, 1908–1909. American Biographical Directories. Washington, D.C.: The Potomac Press. 1908. OCLC 8580589. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019 – via Google Books.
• Hillhouse, Margaret P. (1924). Historical and Genealogical Collections Relating to the Descendants of Rev. James Hillhouse. New York: Tobias A. Wright. OCLC 1847732. Retrieved December 2, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
• Obituary Record of Graduates Deceased During the Year Ending July 1, 1920. Bulletin of Yale University. 7. New Haven: Yale University. 1921. pp. 735–737. OCLC 460903293. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019 – via Google Books.
• Official Army Register for January, 1869. Washington, D.C.: Adjutant General's Office. 1869. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019 – via Google Books.
• Official Army Register for January, 1870. Washington, D.C.: Adjutant General's Office. 1870. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019 – via Google Books.

External links

• David Hillhouse Buel at Find a Grave
• Armes, George A. (1900). Ups and Downs of An Army Officer. Washington, D.C. OCLC 60748254. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019 – via Google Books.