Medical student turned professional soldier, David S. Stanley offered forty years of service to his country on the western frontier and during the Civil War. He participated in some of most important Civil War battles, including, the Battle of Iuka, Battle of Corinth, Battle of Stones Rivers, Battle of Resaca, Battle of Spring Hill, and the Battle of Franklin. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Franklin where he was shot while rallying his troops.

A brave and professional soldier, Stanley was a complex individual exhibiting concern for his soldiers and showing ferocity in battle. As Rosecrans’ Chief of Cavalry, he deserves much credit for making the Union cavalry an important and formidable power in the Western Theater. He also commanded the IV Army Corps at the end of the war, all the while, a convert to Roman Catholicism, greatly influenced by his religious beliefs. Stanley was a formidable adversary of his enemies and he clashed with William T. Sherman, Jacob Cox and William B. Hazen. His own battle with alcohol makes him one of the more interesting generals of the Civil War era.