Edwin Henry Stoughton was appointed a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, but his appointment expired after it was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Four days later, on March 8, 1863, he was captured by Confederate partisan ranger John S. Mosby while asleep at his headquarters in the Virginia village of Fairfax Court House. The incident became well known, and Stoughton became an object of ridicule as a result. He was included in a prisoner exchange two months later but resigned his commission after he was not reappointed as a brigadier general.

Asa Peabody Blunt was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He remained on active duty after the war. In recognition of his service during the Civil War, he was appointed to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers. Blunt was notable as commander of the 2nd Vermont Brigade and the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.