David Dunnels White

David Dunnels White (April 14, 1844-February 9, 1924) whose nomination for a Medal of Honor earned during the American Civil War "for the single-handed capture of Confederate Major General George Washington Custis Lee during the "hand to hand" Battle of Sailor's Creek, Virginia, on April 6, 1865", is currently under review by the United States Army.

Biography
David Dunnels White was born in Cheshire, Massachusetts, the son of Stewart and Elizabeth White née Ames. White enlisted in the Union Army on August 21, 1862, as a private soldier within the 37th Massachusetts Infantry Volunteers of the VI Corps.

On April 6, 1865, Private White, spotted a Confederate general officer during hand-to-hand combat in the Battle of Sailor's Creek, Virginia. Private White broke through the Union/Confederate battle line and confronted the officer, halted him at gunpoint, and demanded his surrender. The Confederate officer was Major General G. W. Custis Lee, a major general within the Army of Northern Virginia. Initially, Lee refused to surrender to Private White, but was compelled to do so when he felt that his life was in jeopardy by Private White’s determination to "bring him in" at gun point. At this point, Lee demanded that Private White take him to a commissioned officer so that he could officially surrender to a Union officer. Private White’s immediate commanding officer, Lieutenant William Morrill, arrived to receive Lee’s official surrender, along with Lee’s sword, haversack, and belt containing his revolver. It was then that Lieutenant Morrill made Private White aware that he, Private White, had just single-handedly captured Custis Lee. In Private David White’s own words, he was "thunderstruck" to learn of the news that he had just captured the eldest son of General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.

White was discharged in Virginia on July 3, 1865, with the rank of corporal, returned to farming in Masschussets. He married Maria Hannah McVee on July 21, 1866 in Adams, Massachusetts. She died on October 25, 1869 and was buried in Maple Street Cemetery in Adams. On November 28, 1872, he married Belle L. Gillett in Cheshire, Massachusetts. He died on February 9, 1924 in Hawley, Massachusetts, and is buried in Bozrah Cemetery there. He was survived by his wife, who died on October 9, 1928 in Hawley, Massachusetts, and is also buried in Bozrah Cemetery.

Medal of Honor nomination
White was nominated to receive a posthumous award of the Medal of Honor by former Massachusetts Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, current Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Massachusetts Representatives Richard Neal and Niki Tsongas, New Jersey Representative Leonard Lance and Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe. , his Medal of Honor case was under review by the United States Army. His official citation is: "for the single-handed capture of Confederate Major General George Washington Custis Lee during the "hand to hand" Battle of Sailor's Creek, Virginia, on April 6, 1865". White's capture of Confederate Major General Custis Lee, a Confederate Division commander at the Battle of Sailor's Creek, brought an early end to the fighting, saving many lives on both sides. The story of White's heroic act, which was performed "above and beyond" the call of duty for a private soldier, by single-handedly capturing an enemy major general has been published in the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the Oklahoman, and numerous Civil War journals.

Media Coverage
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/descendant-fights-for-medal-of-honor-for-civil-war-cpl-david-d-white/2011/10/03/gIQAouheUL_story.html
 * Boston Globe:   http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/07/27/mass_ancestor_deserves_medal_of_honor_man_says/
 * Washington Post:
 * Oklahoman:

http://newsok.com/article/5426474 http://heroes.vfw.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8107
 * VFW: