Nicholas Merritt Nolan (March 10, 1835 – October 24, 1883) was a United States Army major. An Irish immigrant, he began his military career in New York on December 9, 1852, with the 4th Artillery, and subsequently served in New York's 2nd Dragoons. He enlisted as a private and rose through the ranks becoming a first sergeant. He was commissioned an officer in late 1862 in the Regular Army, while serving with the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment during the American Civil War. He participated in 16 campaigns with the 6th and most of its battles. He was slightly wounded at the Battle of Fairfield and seriously wounded at the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House. He was brevetted twice and noted at least twice for gallantry during combat. He was slightly wounded when captured at the end of March 1865, and was later paroled. After the Civil War, he served with the 10th U.S. Cavalry, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, for 14 years. Nolan is also noted for his pluses and minuses during the Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877 that made headlines in the Eastern United States. He was the commanding officer of Henry O. Flipper in 1878, the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He commanded several frontier forts before his untimely death in 1883.
Early life Nolan emigrated from Ireland in 1852, and not much is known about his family. He described himself a "bull-headed" Irish lad of 17-1/2 when he enlisted at Fort Hamilton in New York. He was assigned to Battery M, 4th Artillery on December 9, 1852, as a private. By August 1858 he was a corporal and on September 1, 1858, he was transferred to the 2nd Dragoons, Company K. There, he found his place becoming a sergeant and later the first sergeant of Company (later Troop) K.
American Civil War
Nolan took a demotion on September 5, 1861, to become a sergeant in Troop B, 6th U. S. Cavalry. By March 1862, he was its first sergeant. This unit was part of the Union Army, which later became known as the Army of the Potomac. Nolan was trained as light cavalry with the primary function of scouting, then acting as dismounted light infantry. The reality of prewar cavalry and Civil War cavalry use was dramatic. Nolan and others like him had a steep learning curve that proved difficult and frustrating during the first year of the conflict. He participated in the Peninsula Campaign and chased the audacious JEB Stuart's cavalry that went completely around the Union Army (June 13–15 1862). This caused great psychological concerns to the Union cavalry commanders and men. The "horse soldiers" were a far second-best compared to the Confederate cavalry.
Rapid expansion of the Union cavalry in the East was chaotic. At the beginning of the War, officers were elected by the men or appointed politically. This resulted in many misguided and inept commanders. The tools and techniques of prewar cavalry often seemed inadequate, resulting in a steep learning curve that was costly in men and supplies. Slowly, out of the chaos came the tactics and leaders like Nolan who proved worthy of the challenge. Union "horse soldiers" became cavalry troopers under this tough regimen and proved adept, dismounted and mounted on horseback, with their carbines, pistols, and sabers, and confident under their battle-proven leaders.
Nolan was given a battlefield commission or appointed as a lieutenant on July 17, 1862. His later formal commission may have come as reluctance; when Nolan was later asked about it, he stated he had been a "very good first sergeant." This may indicate he was encouraged in some manner to become an officer in the Regular Army.See also: Amazon Books On September 22, 1862 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Regular U. S. Army.
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of engagements before and after the Battle of Gettysburg. To better understand Nolan's role within the military organization, the following brief is provided. For more details, see Gettysburg Union order of battle. The Army of the Potomac was initially under Major General Joseph Hooker, then under Major General George G. Meade on June 28, 1863. The Cavalry Corps was commanded by Major General Alfred Pleasonton, with divisions commanded by Brigadier Generals John Buford, David McM. Gregg, and H. Judson Kilpatrick.
DivisionBrigade Regiments and OthersFirst Division:
BG John Buford (2,748) Reserve Brigade:
BG Wesley Merritt6th Pennsylvania Cavalry: Maj James H. Haseltine
1st US: Capt Richard S. C. Lord
2nd US: Capt Theophilus F. Rodenbough
5th US: Capt Julius W. Mason
6th US: Maj Samuel H. Starr, Lt Louis H. Carpenter, Lt Nicholas Nolan, Capt Ira W. Claflin
The following list is the 6th US Cavalry Regiment's documented battles and engagements of June and July 1863.This is part of the United States Army Center of Military History online. Beverly Ford, Virginia, June 9, at the Battle of Brandy Station. The 6th was under Buford's right wing.
Benton's Mill, Virginia, June 17, an engagement near Middleburg. Middleburg, Virginia, June 21, at the Battle of Middleburg. Upperville, Virginia, June 21, at the Battle of Upperville Fairfield, Pennsylvania, July 3, at the Battle of Fairfield Williamsport, Maryland, July 6, an engagement. Funkstown, Maryland, July 7, a small engagement. Boonesboro, Maryland, July 8 and 9, at the Battle of Boonesboro. Funkstown, Maryland, July 10, at the Battle of Funkstown.
Battle of Brandy Station
On June 9, 1863, opposing cavalry forces met at Brandy Station, near Culpeper, Virginia. The 9,500 Confederate cavalrymen under Major General J.E.B. Stuart were surprised at dawn by Major General Alfred Pleasonton's combined arms force of two cavalry divisions of some 8,000 cavalry troops (including the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment with Nolan) and 3,000 infantry. The 6th U.S. Cavalry was on the northern edge of the battle and crossed Beverly Ford before engaging the enemy. Stuart barely repulsed the Union attack and required more time to reorganize and rearm after this battle. This inconclusive battle was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the war to that time. This battle proved for the first time that the Union horse soldiers, like Nolan, were equal to their Southern counterparts.Page 36 Nolan was brevetted first lieutenant on August 1, 1863, for his gallant and meritorious service during that battle.
Battle of Fairfield
On July 3, 1863, reports of a slow moving Confederate wagon train in the vicinity of Fairfield, Pennsylvania, attracted the attention of newly commissioned Union Brigadier General Wesley Merritt of the Reserve Brigade, First Division, Cavalry Corps. He ordered the 6th U.S. Cavalry under Major Samuel H. Starr to scout Fairfield and locate the wagons, resulting in the Battle of Fairfield.
Nolan's next action was with Major Samuel H. Starr on July 3, 1863. Starr had his 400 troopers dismount in a field and an orchard on both sides of the road near Fairfield. Union troopers directed by their officers took up hasty defensive positions on this slight ridge. Nolan's troops and others threw back a mounted charge of the 7th Virginia Cavalry, just as the Confederate Chew's Battery unlimbered and opened fire on the Federal cavalrymen. Supported by the 6th Virginia, the 7th Virginia charged again,Longacre, p. 236, indicates that the 6th Virginia conducted the second charge alone. clearing Starr's force off the ridge and inflicting heavy losses. General "Grumble" Jones, outnumbering the Union forces by more than 2 to 1, pursued the retreating Federals for three miles to the Fairfield Gap, but was unable to eliminate his quarry. Major Starr who was wounded in the first attack was unable to escape and was captured. Small groups of the 6th Cavalry," ... reformed several miles from the field of action by Lt. Louis H. Carpenter," harassed the Virginia troopers giving the impression of the vanguard of a much larger force.
Nolan, in this fight with others of his small regiment at Fairfield, stood against two of the crack brigades of Stuart's cavalry. The 6th Cavalry's stand was considered one of the most gallant in its history and helped influence the outcome the battles being fought around Gettysburg. While the 6th Cavalry regiment was cut to pieces, it fought so well that its squadrons were regarded as the advance of a large body of troops. The senior officer of those brigades was later criticized severely for being delayed by such an inferior force. Had the 6th Cavalry regiment not made their stand, the two brigades of Virginians could have caused serious problems to the Union rear areas.Note: Lt. Col. Carter, who wrote this book in 1900, was commissioned a second lieutenant at West Point (Class of 1873) and served with the Sixth from 1874 until his retirement as a Major General in 1915. The 1989 book is a reprint. See item 3.
Lieutenant Nolan was slightly wounded during this battle but avoided capture. He was one of only three officers of the 6th U.S. Cavalry to escape from the deadly melee at Fairfield on July 3, 1863. Nolan assisted Carpenter with the wounded and helped reorganize the men. Private George Crawford Platt, later Sergeant, an Irish immigrant serving in Carpenter's Troop H, was awarded the Medal of Honor on July 12, 1895, for his actions that day at Fairfield. His citation reads, "Seized the regimental flag upon the death of the standard bearer in a hand-to-hand fight and prevented it from falling into the hands of the enemy." His "commander", Carpenter was an eyewitness and documented Private Platt's "beyond the call of duty" behavior that day.
Sergeant Martin Schwenk also received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Fairfield under Nolan's command. He miraculously survived a desperate, unsuccessful search for any other Federal officer, and was later cited for his "bravery in an attempt to carry a communication through the enemy's lines" and for rescuing "an officer from the hands of the enemy".
W.I.A. On October 11, 1863, the 6th U.S. Cavalry engaged enemy forces near Culpeper, Virginia in the morning and later that day near Brandy Station. After a mounted scout on the morning of October 14, 1863, he was seriously wounded in action in the shoulder (side not given) while carrying dispatches back to his company. He was carried on the roster as "sick on account of wounds" until January 1864. On January 17, 1867, he was certified medically and psychologically fit for duty with no limitations. However, Nolan would suffer from a loss of grip strength thereafter per a medical report dated October 4, 1878, in his file.
Later Civil War The 6th U.S. Cavalry was on detached duty in later part of June 1864 on what was referred to as a "scout." It is recorded that they had a small engagement which is referred to as the first battle Dabney's Mill on June 29, 1864. As the result of that "scout" Nolan was promoted to first lieutenant, Regular Army on July 5, 1864.
Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
During the Appomattox Campaign and just before the Battle of Five Forks was the Battle of Dinwiddie. Major General Philip Sheridan was attempting a flank march on Confederate forces but inclement weather caused major delays. This was a minor engagement north and northwest of Dinwiddie, Virginia, on March 31, 1865. Nolan and the Union Cavalry were met by Major General W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee's cavalry then by Major General George Pickett's infantry division. They forced the Union cavalry back toward the village where they held their lines. The next day the Confederates fell back to Five Forks. Nolan was again recognized for his gallant and meritorious service and brevetted to Captain.
P.O.W. and end of Civil War