Civil War Union Army Officer. Born in Hungary, he had a very clouded past, declaring himself a baron upon his emigration to America he twirled society ladies as a dance teacher and regaled them with stories of being in the European resistance and enduring wounds, political imprisonment and other horrors, none of which were ever proven to be true. It is most commonly believed that he was a trick rider in a circus. He was a skilled horseman and his love of horses among other fine things would be his military downfall. He later went on to be a master of languages, speaking a rumored twelve tongues and teaching them at the university in Hungary before he came to America. Living in New York he was commissioned on the 28th of May 1861 to lead the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry. This unique group was known as the “Garibaldi guard” the members were chiefly made up of men who had served Giuseppe garibaldi and other revolutionary factions in eastern and Western Europe. This unique regiment included Hungarians, Germans, Italians Portuguese and a myriad of nationalities. They were sometimes quipped to be “ Lincoln’s Foreign Legion”. Fighting in such battles under the leadership of their very colorful colonel the 39th and d’Utassy participated in the battle of Bull Run and the siege at Harper’s Ferry among other battles in the early portion of the American Civil War. Before clashing with Stone Wall Jackson and his confederate troops d’Utassy told his men “Keep up good courage and keep your powder dry.” While the war raged, so did the opportunities for corruption. The colonel was court-martialed in May of 1863 for illegally selling horses stolen front he US army and a number of other corrupt offenses where he used his rank and position for personal profit at the expense of the Union. He was sentenced to serve a year in New York’s Sing-Sing prison. his brothers Carl and Anton who also served in the 39th regiment were not implicated in any of his crimes. His arrival at the prison was greeted with more fuss and fanfare. The colonel requested that he not be forced to mark in file with the other prisoners. He pointed out that he was an educated man who had served in the armed forces and unlike the common criminals he was forced to mingle with. He told a guard “ I speak twelve languages!” the guard dryly replied, “Here in Sing-Sing we only speak one and we want very little of that.” After his prison sentence was served d’Utassy entered civilian life and made a respectable living in the Insurance trade. After many years and many colorful stories later, d’Utassy was found dead in a gas filled hotel room in Wilmington, Delaware. Whether or not suicide was the cause of his death has never been fully determined.