Alfred N. Duffié
Encyclopedia
Alfred Napoléon Alexander Duffié (May 18, 1833 – November 8, 1880) was a French-American soldier and diplomat who served in the Crimean War
and the American Civil War
.
. Several claims about his early life seem to be untrue: that he graduated from the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
, that he fought in the Austrian War of 1859, that he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur
though he wore it in several photographs, or that his father was a count
. It is known that Duffié joined France
's Imperial Cavalry in 1852, being assigned to the 6th Dragoon
regiment. As a member of this unit, he served during the Crimean War
, seeing action at the Battle of Balaclava
and the Battle of Chernaya River
. He proved to be a skilled non-commissioned officer
and rose through the ranks. In 1859, Duffié earned a commission as a sub-lieutenant
with the 3rd Hussar
cavalry regiment. However, for unclear reasons, he soon resigned his commission and left France for the United States
. For leaving the army before his resignation was accepted, Duffié was charged with desertion and sentenced in absentia
to ten years of imprisonment. After coming to the United States he married into a prominent New York family, making his new home on Staten Island
.
broke out, Duffié enlisted in the Union Army. He first joined the 2nd New York Cavalry (also known as the Harris Light Cavalry), on August 9, 1861, and was soon promoted to the rank of captain. The somewhat quarrelsome Duffié was placed under arrest several times for confrontations with other officers; in one incident, he challenged General Fitz John Porter
to a duel. In July 1862 Duffié was appointed to command the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry, with the rank of colonel
, by that state's governor, William Sprague IV. Though the 1st Rhode Island's officers initially refused to serve under a foreign-born leader, Duffié soon won them over and reorganized the 1st into a fine fighting unit. Assigned to the command of General William Averell, they saw action against Confederate troops under Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
in August 1862, in fighting near Cedar Mountain
, Virginia.
At the Battle of Kelly's Ford
in March 1863 Duffié ordered a charge, against Averell's orders to keep on the defensive, which forced the opposing cavalry into retreat. When the Union cavalry was reorganized under Alfred Pleasonton
, Duffié was promoted to divisional command. On June 9, 1863, Duffié's division was assigned to the left wing of an intended assault on the Confederate cavalry, but initially lost its way, putting them behind schedule. Meanwhile, the Union right wing had opened the Battle of Brandy Station
. Arriving on the field, Duffié was ordered toward the town of Stevensburg; there his division was halted by a smaller Confederate force. As a result, he was demoted back to regimental command. On June 17, 1863 he led the 1st Rhode Island on a reconnaissance mission toward Middleburg, Virginia
. There he came close to capturing Confederate cavalry commander J.E.B. Stuart
; after his narrow escape, Stuart returned to Middleburg and inflicted a decisive defeat on Duffié's regiment, only 61 members of the 1st Rhode Island got back to the Union lines.
Relinquishing his command, Duffié returned to Washington, D.C.
. Though he received a promotion to the rank of brigadier general
on June 23, 1863, he would not see active duty again until that fall when he was assigned to raise and train cavalry units in West Virginia
. His division of West Virginia volunteers saw action around Lewisburg in December 1863 and as part of General David Hunter
's 1864 campaign in the Shenandoah Valley
. He also took part in operations against Confederate guerrilla leader John S. Mosby
, promising to capture the so-called "Gray Ghost" and bring him back to Washington. Instead, it was Duffié who was captured by Mosby's men near Bunker Hill, West Virginia
, on October 20, 1864. He was sent to prison camp, then paroled on February 22, 1865. Duffié was then ordered to Texas for a campaign against Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith
, but that campaign ended before he could arrive.
. After his death, some of Duffié's former officers from the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry established a subscription toward a monument to their old leader, to be placed in Providence.
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life and career
Duffié was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Several claims about his early life seem to be untrue: that he graduated from the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
, that he fought in the Austrian War of 1859, that he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
though he wore it in several photographs, or that his father was a count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
. It is known that Duffié joined France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's Imperial Cavalry in 1852, being assigned to the 6th Dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
regiment. As a member of this unit, he served during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, seeing action at the Battle of Balaclava
Battle of Balaclava
The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War, was part of the Anglo-French-Turkish campaign to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, Russia's principal naval base on the Black Sea...
and the Battle of Chernaya River
Battle of Chernaya River
The Battle of the Chernaya was a battle by the Chernaya River fought during the Crimean War on August 16, 1855. The battle was fought between Russian troops and a coalition of French, Sardinian and Ottoman troops. The Chernaya River is on the outskirts of Sevastopol...
. He proved to be a skilled non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
and rose through the ranks. In 1859, Duffié earned a commission as a sub-lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
with the 3rd Hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
cavalry regiment. However, for unclear reasons, he soon resigned his commission and left France for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. For leaving the army before his resignation was accepted, Duffié was charged with desertion and sentenced in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
to ten years of imprisonment. After coming to the United States he married into a prominent New York family, making his new home on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
.
Civil War
When the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
broke out, Duffié enlisted in the Union Army. He first joined the 2nd New York Cavalry (also known as the Harris Light Cavalry), on August 9, 1861, and was soon promoted to the rank of captain. The somewhat quarrelsome Duffié was placed under arrest several times for confrontations with other officers; in one incident, he challenged General Fitz John Porter
Fitz John Porter
Fitz John Porter was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War...
to a duel. In July 1862 Duffié was appointed to command the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry, with the rank of colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
, by that state's governor, William Sprague IV. Though the 1st Rhode Island's officers initially refused to serve under a foreign-born leader, Duffié soon won them over and reorganized the 1st into a fine fighting unit. Assigned to the command of General William Averell, they saw action against Confederate troops under Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
in August 1862, in fighting near Cedar Mountain
Battle of Cedar Mountain
The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attacked Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas J...
, Virginia.
At the Battle of Kelly's Ford
Battle of Kelly's Ford
The Battle of Kelly's Ford, also known as the Battle of Kellysville, took place on March 17, 1863, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the cavalry operations along the Rappahannock River during the American Civil War. It set the stage for Brandy Station and other cavalry actions of the...
in March 1863 Duffié ordered a charge, against Averell's orders to keep on the defensive, which forced the opposing cavalry into retreat. When the Union cavalry was reorganized under Alfred Pleasonton
Alfred Pleasonton
Alfred Pleasonton was a United States Army officer and General of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. He commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Gettysburg Campaign, including the largest predominantly cavalry battle of the war, Brandy Station...
, Duffié was promoted to divisional command. On June 9, 1863, Duffié's division was assigned to the left wing of an intended assault on the Confederate cavalry, but initially lost its way, putting them behind schedule. Meanwhile, the Union right wing had opened the Battle of Brandy Station
Battle of Brandy Station
The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest to take place ever on American soil. It was fought at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign by the Union cavalry under Maj....
. Arriving on the field, Duffié was ordered toward the town of Stevensburg; there his division was halted by a smaller Confederate force. As a result, he was demoted back to regimental command. On June 17, 1863 he led the 1st Rhode Island on a reconnaissance mission toward Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States with a population of approximately 976 as of July 2010.-History:The town was established in 1787 by American Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman, Levin Powell. He purchased the land for Middleburg at $2.50 per...
. There he came close to capturing Confederate cavalry commander J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
; after his narrow escape, Stuart returned to Middleburg and inflicted a decisive defeat on Duffié's regiment, only 61 members of the 1st Rhode Island got back to the Union lines.
Relinquishing his command, Duffié returned to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Though he received a promotion to the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
on June 23, 1863, he would not see active duty again until that fall when he was assigned to raise and train cavalry units in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. His division of West Virginia volunteers saw action around Lewisburg in December 1863 and as part of General David Hunter
David Hunter
David Hunter was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.-Early...
's 1864 campaign in the Shenandoah Valley
Valley Campaigns of 1864
The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they...
. He also took part in operations against Confederate guerrilla leader John S. Mosby
John S. Mosby
John Singleton Mosby , nicknamed the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War...
, promising to capture the so-called "Gray Ghost" and bring him back to Washington. Instead, it was Duffié who was captured by Mosby's men near Bunker Hill, West Virginia
Bunker Hill, West Virginia
Bunker Hill is an unincorporated town in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States located on Winchester Pike at its junction with West Virginia Secondary Route 26 south of Martinsburg. It is the site of the confluence of Torytown Run and Mill Creek, a tributary of Opequon Creek...
, on October 20, 1864. He was sent to prison camp, then paroled on February 22, 1865. Duffié was then ordered to Texas for a campaign against Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith was a career United States Army officer and educator. He served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg.After the conflict ended Smith...
, but that campaign ended before he could arrive.
Postwar career
On August 24, 1865 Duffié was mustered out of service and returned to his Staten Island home. He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1867. In 1869 he was appointed U.S. consul to Cadiz, Spain. It was there, on November 8, 1880, that he died from tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. After his death, some of Duffié's former officers from the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry established a subscription toward a monument to their old leader, to be placed in Providence.