Samuel H . Starr Samuel Henry Starr ( July 31 , 1810 – November 23 , 1891 ) was a career United States Army Officer , regimental commander and prisoner of war . A collection of his letters provide a rare view of military life , the War with Mexico , Indian conflicts , the Civil War , his fall from grace , recovery and post Civil War service . Despite his rough demeanor he was a religious man and reflective of the times he served . He was known for his discipline and blistering tongue - lashings directed at friend and foe who performed unsuitably in his eyes . In the later part of 1862 , he saber slapped ( hit with the flat edge of his saber ) an inattentive camp guard and loudly declared the soldier an " SOB . " Because of his " abuse of the guard , " he resigned his rank of Colonel , his command and subjected himself to a rigorous religious revival then an active recruiting effort . Forgiven by the press and apparently by the Army , he rejoined the active military as a major in command of a cavalry regiment . He commanded the Cavalry Reserve Brigade briefly , but was denied the promotion and command when another officer his junior took command . He is noted for his July 1863 actions at the Battle of Fairfield where his small cavalry regiment took on two crack Confederate Cavalry Regiments reinforced with light artillery . He was severely wounded in the melee and his right arm had to be amputated while he was a prisoner of war . " Old Paddy " was exchanged on parole in September ( not November ) of that year . After a period of recovery he resumed his career to command the Cavalry Remount Camp in Maryland . Later he was a Special Inspector of Cavalry for the armies of the Potomac and the James where his insistence of doing things right contributed to a higher degree of quality and professionalism . During the post war period he served in Texas then retired as a full colonel on December 15 , 1870 . Early years . Samuel Starr was born July 31 , 1810 , in Leyden , New York . He was the son of Benjamin John or Henry Starr ( September 12 , 1779 – August 19 , 1852 ) and Achsah Maria Ely ( May 24 , 1787 – August 19 , 1864 ) . Samuel had eights siblings . Starr married Eliza Kurtz ( May 7 , 1822 – March 1 , 1900 ) from Philadelphia , Pennsylvania on July 21 , 1841 in Leyden Township , Lewis County , New York and had several children . Military service . Samuel Starr enlisted in the United States Army as a private on October 27 , 1832 in Company G , 4th United States Artillery to October 26 , 1837 . On June 23 , 1846 he enlisted with Company A , an engineer battalion during the Mexican War reaching the rank of sergeant and given a brevet promotion to second lieutenant on June 28 , 1848 and he was discharged on July 13 , 1848 . He sent letters to his wife ' s home from Matamoros , Mexico in 1846 . Other letters were sent from Victoria , Mexico dated January 12 , 1847 and two from Tampico dated February 9 and 22 , 1847 . His nickname was " Paddy " reflective of his Irish ancestry . In one letter dated March 14 , 1847 from an engineer camp near the city of Veracruz , he mentions some skirmishing near San Juan . His letter of March 30 , mentions the surrender of Veracruz to American forces . Another letter dated April 22 , 1847 describes following Mexican General Santa Anna to Xalapa . The letter was written from the " Castle of Perote . " Other letters describe disease in the army ( July 7 ) , skirmishes during the approach to Mexico City and the Battle of Contreras ( August 30 ) . From the Halls of Montezuma ( September 23 ) he provides a description of the Battle of Molino del Rey and the suffering of the casualties after that action . In many letters he paints a brief portrait of his life , the hardships of his men , the civilians and the defeated Mexican forces . In his last letter from " The City of Mexico " or Mexico City , his wife Eliza now resides in Rome , New York ( May 8 , 1848 ) . He was appointed brevet second lieutenant , 2nd Dragoons , in June 1848 . On July 13 , 1848 he is commissioned a second lieutenant in the Regular Army . He sends a letter to his wife from West Point , Texas in Fayette County on June 25 , 1848 where he mentions his promotion as a passing comment . From a camp at Towash Village ( April 2 , 1849 ) , San Antonio May 20 ) he encourages his wife to consider coming to Texas . On November 10 , 1851 he is promoted to first lieutenant . By January 18 , 1852 his wife is at Fort Gates , Texas , while he is at Fort Mason . Then there is a strange letter ( August 2 , 1853 ) that is regarding the limits of Starr ' s arrest from Thomas J . Wood at Fort Mason , Texas . This is frustrating because it provides no clue to why he is on house arrest ! The July 31st letter it refers to was not copied for the author . Several letters are then exchanged including a tender letter to his daughter Kate on September 22 , 1853 and no mention of his " arrest . " On March 4 , 1854 he is at Fort McKavitt where he describes the needs of his wife for family to his daughter Kate . Starr served in Texas from 1848 to 1854 and this time was hard for his wife . In 1855 he was in Fort Riley , Kansas . On July 20 , 1855 he is at Fort Kearney , Nebraska Territory while his wife is in Burlington , New Jersey and the envelope indicates he is now a Captain . He talks about his participation in chasing Native Americans on the plains and their way of life . Other letters mention the Sioux and Utah expeditions in 1855 - 1856 when he was at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas . Over the years he writes many letters home , mostly to his daughters . On May 19 , 1856 while at Old Fort Cedar , Captain Augustus Pleasonton writes from the headquarters of the Sioux Expedition at Fort Pierre orders to return to Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania for recruiting duty . Starr is there by July 17 and in a letter dated April 11 , 1857 from the Assistant Adjutant General , L . Thomas , he is sent back West . In a June 26 , 1857 letter he describes to his daughter Kate where he is and how things are going at the post . Then there is a letter ( September 13 , 1857 ) regarding an investigation into Starr ' s conduct to the Inspector General , Colonel J . K . F . Mansfield regarding irregularities of recruiting accounts . There is a series of letters to and from the Auditor ' s Office in the Treasury Department until at least August 1859 . Apparently this is resolved because he is promoted to Captain on June 14 , 1858 and continues with the 2nd U . S . Cavalry until August 3 , 1861 . In 1861 he leaves the Western territories for the East . On May 16 , he is in Washington , D . C . and his wife is now residing in Burlington , New Jersey . Civil War . During the Civil War , Starr held a number of positions . He served as aide de camp to Brigadier General Joseph Mansfield , who was in command of the Department of Washington . On August 16 , 1861 Starr accepts his appointment as a colonel of the 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry from Governor C . S . Olden in Trenton , New Jersey . It is effective on August 24 , 1861 . On September 25 , 1861 the Officers of the 5th New Jersey Infantry write to Brigadier General William R . Montgomery regarding of Starr ' s excess discipline and mistreatment of his men . By December 14 , 1861 he was commander of the 3rd Brigade , Hooker ’ s Division , Army of the Potomac . His October 15 letter from Alexandria , Virginia to Eliza shows pride in his men . On May 4 , 1862 he is breveted to major , Regular Army for gallant and meritorious service during the battle of Williamsburg , Virginia . He still held his volunteer rank of colonel . He writes a letter to wife Eliza only 22 miles from the Confederate Capital in Richmond , Virginia on May 17 , 1862 . He provides a good description and some detail of his experiences during the Battle of Williamsburg . On May 27 he writes from Bottom ' s Bridge in Virginia . From the camp of " Seven Pines , " six miles before Richmond , Virginia comes a report ( June 5 , 1862 ) of the killed and wounded from the 5th New Jersey Infantry during the Battle of Seven Pines in Virginia acknowledged by Colonel Starr . Then there is a printed commendation from George McClellan to the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac in a letter dated July 1 , from Governor Olden in Trenton to Starr praising his men . " " The regiment was brave , and I have reason to congratulate myself in having command of as gallant a regiment as any in the service . " " Fall from grace and redemption . Starr had always been a strict taskmaster and disciplinarian typical of an pre - war army sergeant with a mouth that matched . To those who admired him , he earned the nickname of " Old Paddy " and to those that didn ' t " Old Nose Bag . " The later term comes an old company punishment for transgression that required the offender mount astride a fence rail , with his arms secured behind him and with his feet tied together . The crowning came with a horse feed bag ( the nose bag ) placed over the face of the individual . Other forms of company punishment included being strapped to a wagon wheel to being forced to walk a post for hours in full uniform and gear . The harsh discipline was maintained for both officers and enlisted men . Starr had been warned after the September 25 , 1861 letter of complaint from his officers by the Army . The large number of volunteers would not put up with the harsh discipline of the pre - war regulars . Due to a slapping incident reticent of the future strict disciplinarian and vulgar lashing tongue of cavalry General George S . Patton where Starr " saber slapped " an inattentive guard on the head . Starr resigned his commission in the volunteer service . A letter dated October 4 , 1862 is forwarded General L . Thomas , Adjutant General in Washington , D . C . which is accepted on October 20 . Starr at Camp Kearney , Virginia sends a telegram to Governor C . S . Olden regarding his resignation on October 22 and in reply Starr is encouraged to participate in recruiting efforts . In a letter dated January 16 , 1863 he shows remorse for his actions and a desire for forgiveness to his wife . On February 20 , 1863 , Starr writes to General L . Thomas , Adjutant General in Washington , D . C . regarding charges against him for improper recruiting . After a period of remorse , religious inner - inspection and forgiveness by the public , he returned to the 2nd U . S . Cavalry ( formerly the 2nd Dragoons ) as a captain . On April 25 , 1863 , Starr is promoted to major , Regular Army , with the 6th U . S . Cavalry Regiment . On June 21 , 1863 he is breveted lieutenant colonel for gallant and meritorius service in action at Upperville , Virginia . Starr commands the Cavalry Reserve Brigade briefly . He assumed he would be promoted but his older age and reputation denied him continued command . Many felt his old school discipline , attitude and the rapidly changing venue of the Union cavalry was beyond him . Remarkably he held his tongue while fuming in outrage but soldiered on . Then on July 2 , 1863 for gallant and meritorius service in the Gettysburg Campaign he is breveted to colonel . However his new commander quickly makes a mistake that would be costly to Starr and the 6th Cavalry . Gettysburg Campaign . The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of engagements before and after the Battle of Gettysburg . To better understand Starr ' s role within the military organization , the following brief is provided . For more details , see Gettysburg Union order of battle . The following list is the 6th US Cavalry Regiment ' s documented battles and engagements of June and July 1863 . Battle of Fairfield . On July 3 , 1863 , reports of a slow moving Confederate wagon train were reported in the vicinity of Fairfield , Pennsylvania and 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 ( Brevet Colonel ) Major Starr to scout Fairfield and locate the wagons , resulting in the Battle of Fairfield . Starr dashed forward under orders after the Confederate supply train . His scouts spotted the wagons and Starr charged forward . When his forward units under Lieutenant Christian Balder encountered Virginia cavalry and came racing back , Starr decided to fight . He deployed his men in a defensive posture with a portion of them mounted ready for offensive action on the road . Unknown to Starr his small cavalry regiment was facing two crack Confederate Cavalry Regiments reinforced with light artillery . Starr had his 400 troopers dismount perpendicular to the road in the adjoining fields and an orchard on a slight ridge near Fairfield , Pennsylvania . Union troopers directed by their officers took up hasty defensive positions along a fence and a row of trees . Starr ' s 6th Regiment halted a charge of the 7th Virginia Cavalry . Starr , probably believing the Confederates were retreating charged forward with his mounted troopers . Confederate Chew ' s Battery unlimbered and opened fire on the Federal cavalrymen . The 7th quickly regrouped and supported by the 6th Virginia Cavalry , the 7th Virginia charged again . It was a cavalryman ' s worst nightmare of a roiling twisted fight with pistols and blades by an overwhelming mounted force . In the violent melee Starr was struck by a saber in the head then hit in the arm by a pistol ball . He fell from his horse severely wounded . The Virginia cavalry cleared Starr ' s forces off the ridge inflicting heavy casualties and taking many prisoners . The 6th Cavalry had 6 men listed as killed in action , 5 officers and 23 men wounded and 203 officers and men missing out of 400 . 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 . Small groups of the Starr ' s 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 . Another of Starr ' s lieutenants , named Nolan , though wounded , assisted with the wounded not captured . 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 Confederate senior officer of those brigades was later criticized severely for being delayed by such an inferior force . 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 " was an eyewitness and documented Private Platt ' s " beyond the call of duty " behavior that day . As a prisoner of war , Starr was taken into Fairfield by the Confederates . He had his wounds attended to and unfortunately his right arm had to be amputated . He spent a few days in Fairfield until he recovered enough to be transported south . " Old Paddy " was later exchanged in the following September ( not November ) . Post P . O . W . service . On September 3 , 1863 after returning home to Philadelphia , Starr writes General L . Thomas ( A . G . in Washington , D . C . ) regarding his parole of honor and where he could be reached . On September 19 , Starr receives a letter from W . T . Hartz , Office of the Commissary General of Prisoners ( Washington , D . C . ) informing him that his parole was invalid . By December 22 , 1863 , Starr is on light duty in Columbus , Ohio on mustering service . In September 1864 Starr was ordered to join Sheridan ’ s army in the Shenandoah Valley . And on October 19 , he is at Martinburgh , Virginia . In November 1864 , Starr was assigned as chief mustering and disbursing officer for the state of Ohio . He held this position until January 1865 . On April 12 , 1865 Starr writes to the editor of the " Richmond Whig " and included the " proper lyrics " to a Union song . ( Which song ? It was not included in the author ' s copy ! ) Starr then served as special inspector of cavalry for the Armies of the Potomac and the James from January to August 1865 . He is at City Point , Virginia on July 18 when he writes his wife now residing in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . Starr was then reassigned back to the 6th Cavalry in Maryland . In October 1865 , he received a brevet commission to lieutenant colonel for his outstanding service . In the later part of October , he was ordered with his regiment to Texas where he took part of the occupation . The 6th was headquartered in Austin , Texas and he brought his family there . Samuel Starr ' s daughter Kate married William D . Price of Austin , Texas , in 1866 . Price had served as a captain of the 1st Texas Cavalry ( Union ) during the Civil War . Following the war , he became a prominent lawyer and judge in Austin . Price died in 1877 . Starr and the 6th participated in various Indian Campaigns from 1867 to 1869 in Texas . His daughter Jo apparently stayed in Philadelphia as evidenced by a series of letters from January 1866 to January 1870 . He describes various incidents and events he believes she would find interesting . His last letter in the Missouri Historical collection to his daughter Jo dated August 15 , 1870 is reflective of his service . During this period of relative quiet , Colonel Starr retired from the army in December 1870 . Retirement and legacy . Returning home to Philadelphia , he participated in the G . A . R . The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who had served in the American Civil War . Apparently he was concerned about the loss of his arm and had made an insert for his uniform jacket . To the casual passerby , it appeared as if his arm and hand was present , but limp at his side . His 1870 retirement picture in Philadelphia reflects this . Colonel Samuel H . Starr , U . S . Army retired , died on November 23 , 1891 , in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington , D . C . with full military honors . Samuel Starr left a legacy of many letters , correspondence , military papers regarding his service with various military units . This includes notes and comments from his daughters , especially Kate Price . They are part of the Samuel H . Starr Papers , 1846 - 1904 at the Missouri Historical Society Archives in St . Louis , Missouri . The collection is arranged into eight series : Personal Correspondence from Samuel Starr to Family , Personal Correspondence to Samuel Starr ( includes letters from veterans regarding reunions and veterans ' organizations ) , Military Correspondence of Samuel Starr ( Mexican War , the Civil War , and the Sioux Indian expedition ) , Military Papers of Samuel Starr ( includes forms for quartermaster stores , charges against Starr , and lists of casualties . The series also includes three folders of General and Special Orders . ) , Papers of Other Members of the Starr Family , Papers of William D . Price , Papers of Other Members of the Price Family , and Miscellaneous .