Born in Detroit on May 15, 1842, Henry M. Duffield was a prominent
attorney and the veteran of two wars. He was the son of Rev. George
W. Duffield and Isabella Graham Bethune. He attended public school
in Detroit, the University of Michigan and Williams College. He
married Frances Pitt on December 29, 1863 and they had seven sons.
Duffield entered service in the Civil War on September 10, 1861
as a private. He was soon promoted to the post of Adjutant in the
9th Michigan Infantry. He was made acting Assistant Adjutant General
of the 23rd Brigade on March 18, 1862. Duffield was taken prisoner
at Murfreesboro, Tennessee on July 13, 1862. He was exchanged on
December 3, 1862 and returned to his regiment. He commanded the
mounted Provost Guard for the 14th Army Corps from June to August,
1863. Duffield was wounded in action at Chickamauga, Georgia on
September 30, 1863. He was made acting Provost Marshal General from
February to May, 1864 and Assistant Provost Marshal General for
the Department of Cumberland from May to October, 1864. He was discharged
at the end of his service on October 14, 1864.
Duffield returned to Detroit and his law practice. He was an active
Republican and took part in politics at every level but did not
seek office. In 1898, Colonel Duffield volunteered for the military
service and was commissioned Brigadier General. During the Spanish
American War, he participated in the siege of Santiago. While in
Cuba, he contracted yellow fever and recovered after many months
of nursing care. In 1903, he was brevetted the rank of Major General.
Henry Duffield died on July 13, 1912, the 50th anniversary of his
first battle in the Civil War at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Born: May 15, 1842
Died: July 13, 1912
Buried: Section W, Lot 3
