NICOLAI DUNCA

Buffalo Soldier Nicolae Dunca is a Notable burial at https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/staunton.asp. He was born in 1837, in Transylvania, Romania, came to the United States in December 1861. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 and due to his past military experience, was appointed captain of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Dunca was killed in action at the Battle of Cross Keys on June 8, 1862, and was still a Romanian citizen at the time of death. He was buried at Perkey's Farm, Cross Keys, Va., and his remains were moved to Staunton. Dunca was born in 1837 in Iași, Moldavia. He served in the Honved Army during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and later was a lieutenant under Figyelmessy on Sicily. Dunca came to the United States and enlisted in the Union Army in March 1862 and, due to his past military experience, was appointed captain in the 12th New York Infantry Regiment. He was later assigned as aide-de-camp to Major General John C. Fremont, whose army was operating in the Shenandoah Valley. Dunca was shot and killed by a Georgian (Pvt. John Long of Co. B, 21st Georgia Infantry) on picket duty at the Battle of Cross Keys on June 8, 1862. When the picket searched Dunca's personal effects, it was discovered that he was carrying a dispatch outlining Gen. Fremont's order of march for the day. Dunca was not the only non-Hungarian to serve in the Union army. There were several officers in the Union Army who, although not natives of Hungary, may be classified as Hungarians, for they had been identified with the Hungarians' cause, spoke the Hungarian language and attached themselves in America to the Hungarians. Among them were Constantin Blandovski, a Pole who had served in the Honvéd Army and few others. *The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events.