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Pennsylvania Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients
BROWN, CHARLES E:
Sergeant, Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry. Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Citation: 1 December 1864, for capture of flag of 47th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.). (3/7/99) Sergeant Brown's obituary notice stated that Captain Charles Brown, "in command of Company C, 5oth Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers in the Civil War," died at his home on Dock Street, Schuylkill Haven, on February 20, 1919, and notes only that he won the "medal for the Legion of Honor." In Wallace's "Memorial of Patriotism," on page 355, there is a section reading "on the 19th of August the Regiment, with its Division, participated in a movement on the Weldon Railroad, resulting in gaining possession of the important point. It was not accomplished though without a severe fight." The article, in quoting a correspondent of the press, continues "The 50th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers captured a stand of colors from the 17th Virginia. Emblazoned upon the red, white and red folds were inscriptions of thirteen engagements in which the Regiment had fought - from Bull Run to Mine Run." Charles Brown was active in the 50th Regiment Association after the war and was associated with General Samuel Schwenk who preceded him in death by only a year. Shortly before his death at the age of 78, Brown attended a meeting of the Veterans Volunteers in New York, and he had also offered his services to his government in World War I. After the close of the Civil War, Charles Brown operated a boat on the old Schuylkill Canal, and when the canal was discontinued he went to New York where he operated boats for a time between New York and Connecticut. For a short period he was the gate tender at the entrance of the county almshouse at Schuylkill Haven. (3/7/99: Thanks to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for the preceding information on Sgt. Charles E. Brown's post war activities.
FRICK, JACOB G :
Northumberland, Jan. 23, 1835 (The year is an obvious misprint since the 1890 census indicates his actual birth year as 1825), Colonel, 129th Pennsylvania Infantry. Fredericksburg, Va., 13 December 1862. At Chancellorsville, Va., 3 May 1863. Citation given: 7 June 1892. At Fredericksburg seized the colors and led the command through a terrible fire of cannon and musketry. In a hand-to-hand fight at Chancellorsville, recaptured the colors of his regiment. (3/4/99 - from the papers of Brevet Major General St. Clair A. Mulholland) Jacob Frick, born in Northumberland, is believed to be Schuylkill County's first Congressional Medal of Honor winner. Enlisting as Third Lieutenant of the Third Ohio Infantry during in the Mexican War on June, 1846, Frick was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 11th U.S. Infantry and entered the Civil War on September 23, 1861, as a Lieutenant Colonel for the 129th Pennsylvania Infantry. Frick's medal was won at Marye's Hill in Frederickburg, Spottsylvania County, Virginia, during the last charge of the day at the request of Major General Joseph Hooker to lead the assault personally. An eyewitness writes of the attack thusly: "He did so and not only led the regiment to the base of the celebrated stone wall, but carried the colors well. As the line moved forward, the colorbearer went down, and many of the color guard fell. Companion Frick quickly seized and raised the flag, but almost instantly the flag staff was shot off close to his head, and the flag fell drooping over his shoulders. Still he continued to advance in front of the command, and when close to the stone wall, was wounded. Like all other efforts of the day, the charge failed. The regiment held the ground but for a moment, and in a sheet of flame, the men fell rapidly, and Col. Frick, wounded, but with the flag still held aloft, led the regiment from the field." Frick left the 129th Regiment when their enlistment expired, then mustered in as Colonel of the 27th Volunteer Militia in time to repel the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania. Frick's regiment departed the Harrisburg area on June 24, 1863, and headed to Columbia with orders to guard the vital bridge across the Susquehanna River and act in defense of Lancaster County. With his regiment engaged in battle on June 28, 1863, Frick ordered the long bridge burned to prevent its use by Confederate troops. After a long, illustrious military career, Colonel Jacob G. Frick passed from this life on March 5, 1902, and his remains are buried in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. (3/4/99: Thanks to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for the additional details on Col. Frick's life and times.
HARRIS, GEORGE W:
Private, Company B, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry. Spotsylvania, Va., 12 May 1864. Citation: 1 December 1864. Capture of flag, wresting it from the color bearer and shooting an officer who attempted to regain it.
HILL, HENRY
Pottsville 1843, Corporal, Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry. Wilderness, Va., 6 May 1864. Citation: 23 September 1897 reads "This soldier, with one companion, would not retire when his regiment fell back in confusion after an unsuccessful charge, but instead, advanced and continued firing upon the enemy until the regiment reformed and regained its position." (3/4/99 - from the papers of Brevet Major General St. Clair A. Mulholland) It seems that Corporal Hill is the only Schuylkill County soldier to win the Medal of Honor during the Civil War by NOT capturing or re-capturing a flag on the field of battle. Hill, a native of Pottsville, spent most of his life in Schuylkill Haven and spent his early days on the local canal boats. Upon his death on August 3, 1909, at Schuylkill Haven at the age of 66, Hill's obituary said "he was severely wounded by a bursting shell at Cold Harbor and was voted a medal for bravery." The battle of Cold Harbor began June 3, 1864, and Henry Hill served a three year enlistment in Company C, then re-enlisted and took part in battles in the Shenandoah Valley and at Spottsylvania, Beaufort, Cold Run, Chantilly, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Wilderness and Cold Harbor. Henry Hill spent his post war years employed as a night watchman and turnkey at the Schuylkill County Prison. (3/4/99: Thanks to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for the additional details on Henry Hill.
MONAGHAN, PATRICK H
Minersville, born in County Mayo, Ireland, November 19, 1843. Corporal, Company F, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. Petersburg, Va., 17 June 1864. Citation: 1 December 1864. Recapture of colors of 7th New York Heavy Artillery. (3/4/99 - from the papers of Brevet Major General St. Clair A. Mulholland) You'll find it interesting that, on the same day Robert A. Reid captured a Confederate flag at Petersburg, Virginia, June 17, 1864, fellow Schuylkill Countian, Patrick H. Monaghan, recaptured a Union flag on the same battlefield; for which he too was awarded the Medal of Honor. Patrick H. Monaghan came to America as a youngster, and enlisted at the age of 17 as a member of Company F, 48th Regiment, the same regiment to which Robert Reid belonged. In his comments, Brevet Major General St. Clair A. Mulholland, a resident of Philadelphia and a member of the Military Order, Congressional Medal of Honor Legion of the U.S, states that "Monaghan's regiment was in the 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac, and the early morning charge on the Confederate works. Seeing in the melee three Confederates making for the rear, one of them carrying a stand of colors, he promptly rushed at them and demanded their surrender. They threw up their hands and Sergeant Monaghan brought them in. When the flag was unfurled, it proved to be that of the 7th New York Heavy Artillery that had been captured the day before." Monaghan enlisted on August 12, 1861, and when his three year enlistment expired he re-joined for the duration of the war, mustering out with his regiment July 17, 1865. Monaghan was wounded at Bull Run, the Wilderness and Petersburg and received his medal from General George Meade at the headquarters of Army on December 16, 1864. Following the conflict, Monaghan was active member in the National Guard of Pennsylvania as a Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel of his regiment. He made his residence in Mineersville where he married Bridget Derrick, another County Mayo resident who came to this country with her family. While teaching school between 1873 and 1916, Patrick Monaghan gained a reputation in Schuylkill County education circles, and served for many years as Superintendent of the Girardville Public Schools. Patrick H. Monaghan passed away at the age of 74 in 1917. (3/4/99: Thanks to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for this biographical sketch of Patrick H. Monaghan.
REID, ROBERT A.
Pottsville, born at Raploch near Stirling, Scotland, on January 22, 1842, and came to Pottsville at the age of twelve. Private, Company G, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. Petersburg, Va., 17 June 1864. Citation: 1 December 1864, for Capture of flag of 44th Tennessee Infantry (C.S.A.). (3/4/99 - from the papers of Brevet Major General St. Clair A. Mulholland) Robert A. Reid died in Pottsville on April 25, 1929, at age 87 and was identified by Pottsville newspapers as the city's "Grand old man." One of the earliest pupils of the Bunker Hill School Building, Reid worked as a youth at Benjamin Haywood's rolling mill at Palo Alto, and was also the superintendent of a large rolling mill at Danville where he lived for a quarter of a century. He was a member of the Danville School Board and then lived for several years on a model farm at Bodines near Williamsport. He also served as a member and secretary of the Pottsville School Board for nearly two decades. Robert A. Reid enlisted in April of 1861 in the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Company "G," led by Captain Philip Nagle, a Mexican War Veteran. Reid was discharged with the rank of Ordinance Sergeant. While at Petersburg, Virginia, on June 17, 1864, Reid turned his captured 44th Tennessee Regiment Flag over to the 48th Regiment and Adjutant General Townsend awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor in September of 1864. A splendid soldier, Robert Reid was present in every battle in which his regiment was engaged: Second Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, The Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and the Siege of Petersburg. He entered politics in 1903 with the nomination of the independent Republicans and Democratic party as a member of legislature for the Fourth District, but he lost to the regular Republican candidate. Reid acted as the secretary of the 48th Regiment Survivors Association for years, and this post was later held by his son, William Reid, until the unit was disbanded. (3/4/99: Thanks to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for this latest information on Robert A. Reid.
ROBINSON, THOMAS
Tamaqua, born in Ireland. Private, Company H, 81st Pennsylvania Infantry. Spotsylvania, Va., 12 May 1864. Citation: 1 December 1864. Capture of flag in a hand-to-hand conflict.
SEITZINGER, JAMES M
Worcester, born in Germany, November 24, 1846. Private, Company G, 116th Pennsylvania Infantry. Cold Harbor, Va., 3 June 1864. Citation given: 1 March 1906. When the color bearer was shot down, this soldier seized the colors and bore them gallantly in a charge against the enemy. (3/4/99 - From the papers of Brevet Major General St. Clair A. Mulholland.) The Seitzinger family history shows that Nicholas Seitzinger, born in Reading in 1758, participated in the American Revolution, and one of his eight sons, Jacob Seitzinger, born 1791-died 1844, took part in the War of 1812. Jacob married Elizabeth Moyer (Meier) in Friedensburg, then moved to Pottsville where his son, Israel Seitzinger, born in 1820 (died 1894), organized Company E of the 6th Pennsylvania Volunteers, or Ashland Rifles, on April 1, 1861. This was the first volunteer company from Ashland and their service lasted for ninety days as part of the first contingent to enter the nation's capitol to defend against possible attack. It was 1864 when Israel Seitzinger, along with his son, James M. Seitzinger, joined Company G of the 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and the father and son team participated in the battles of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Spottsylvania and Petersburg. They remained in service until the war ended, with James mustering out in May of 1865 and his father in July 1865. Our subject, James M. Seitzinger, was born November 24, 1846, and was awarded the Medal of Honor on March 1, 1906. Family records show that Seitzinger's Commanding Officer, Captain Frank R. Leib, concurred with the award and wrote: "In the charge on Cold Harbor on the morning of June 3, 1864, our color sergeant was shot down and through the midst of the shot and shell, James M. Seitzinger, then a private, grabbed the colors and waving it called to the regiment to follow. If in your judgment you deem him worthy of a Medal of Honor, it would be well bestowed on a gallant soldier." Scarcely two months later, August 25, 1864, Medal of Honor winner James M. Seitzinger sustained two wounds in a skirmish near Petersburg, Virginia. James passed away on January 14, 1924 at the age of 77. (3/4/99: Thanks to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for this in-depth background on James M. Seitzinger and his family.
BLAIR, JAMES
First Sergeant, Company I, 1st U.S. Cavalry. Winter of 1872-1873. Citation: 12 April 1875 for gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches.
GUNTHER, JACOB
Corporal, Company E, 8th U.S. Cavalry. Arizona, 1868 and 1869. Citation: 6 September 1869 for bravery in scouts and actions against Indians.
FOLEY, ALEXANDER JOSEPH
Heckscherville, Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Tientsin, China, 13 July 1900. Citation: 19 July 1901. In the presence of the enemy in the battle near Tientsin, China, 13 July 1900, Foley distinguished himself by meritorious conduct. (3/7/99) The American Flags at half-mast on January 14, 1910, at the Culebra Naval Station, San Juan, Puerto Rico, were in honor of a Schuylkill County son, Marine Sergeant Alexander J. Foley, who had dropped dead of a heart attack at the age of 44. Born in Heckscherville, Alexander J. Foley had not only won an enviable collection of honors and medals since his first "hitch" in the Marines, dating back to 1888 when he was a young man of 22, but he was also the holder of the Congressional Medal of Honor. The son of Edward and Catherine McDonald Foley, Alexander moved to Lost Creek as a child, and he was still a boy when he signed up for a five-year enlistment in the Marine Corps in a Philadelphia recruiting station. Upon being mustered out as a private in 1893, Foley signed up for another five year enlistment the following day, and he saw service in the Spanish-American War in Cuba and the Philippines before reenlisting for another five years. He was later promoted to and corporal and then sergeant. But Alexander J. Foley of Schuylkill County won Marine immortality during the Boxer Rebellion in northern China in 1900 as fanatical members of a Chinese nationalist society were trying to "drive foreign devils" out of China and wipe out western world influences in the process. Even Missionaries, as well as their families, had been attacked and murdered, and 200 men, women, and children of the various foreign legations even found themselves under siege in the British Legation at Peking for two months. With the international settlement at Tientsin placed under siege by the Boxers, western nations quickly dispatched 5,000 American, British, French, Russian, and Japanese soldiers to lift the Tientsin stalemate, but the Boxers, now dug in along the Tientsin outskirts, created a major skirmish was no minor on June 21, 1900. On that date two companies of the Ninth U.S. Infantry were under merciless fire when Foley, along with three companions, came across badly-wounded Major James Regan. Displaying a total disregard for their own safety, the four men improvised a litter, loaded Major Regan aboard and marched three miles to a field hospital under small arms fire. As a Lieutenant Colonel, Regan later wrote "It was with the greatest of difficulty and persistence in their noble work that they got me off the field. They placed me on an improvised litter made of two flannel shirts and two rifles. I was a heavy man and with the greatest of care over the roughest kind of ground, under fire, they carried me to the Marine Hospital in the city, a distance of about three miles....Such men are worthy of all the distinction the Government can confer upon them." Honor was indeed bestowed, and his well-earned citation for meritorious conduct and Medal of Honor were formally presented to Foley before the assembled garrison at Cavite, Philippine Islands, on May 11, 1902. When he suffered his fatal heart seizure at the Culebra Naval Station, Alexander J. Foley had been a Marine for 22 years, and since it was not feasible then to ship his body home, Foley was buried with full honors in Puerto Rico. (3/7/99: Our special thanks to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for the above details on the life of Alexander J. Foley.
BOONE, JOEL THOMPSON
St. Clair, Lieutenant (Medical Corps), U.S. Navy. Vicinity of Vierzy, France, 19 July 1918. Citation: Date Unknown. For extraordinary heroism, conspicuous gallantry, and intrepidity while serving with the 6th Regiment, U.S. Marines, in actual conflict with the enemy. With absolute disregard for personal safety, ever conscious and mindful of the suffering fallen, Surg. Boone, leaving the shelter of a ravine, went forward onto the open field where there was no protection and despite the extreme enemy fire of all calibers, through a heavy mist of gas, applied dressings and first aid to wounded marines. This occurred southeast of Vierzy, near the cemetery, and on the road south from that town. When the dressings and supplies had been exhausted, he went through a heavy barrage of large-caliber shells, both high explosive and gas, to replenish these supplies, returning quickly with a sidecar load, and administered them in saving the lives of the wounded. A second trip, under the same conditions and for the same purpose, was made by Surg. Boone later that day. (3/7/99) Admiral Joel T. Boone was graduated from Mercersbury Academy in 1913 and was appointed a lieutenant, junior grade, in the medical corps of the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1914. He was transferred to the regular navy in that rank and subsequently became a lieutenant and lieutenant commander in World War I and a commander, captain, commodore and rear admiral during and after World War II. Surgeon Boone, as he was termed in the Citation for the Congressional Medal of Honor, was serving with the Sixth Regiment of the United Marines on July 119, 1918, at Vierzy, France, when his "extraordinary heroism, conspicuous gallantry and intrepity in actual conflict with the enemy" inspired the award of the medal. Another of the many decorations which Commander Boone was eligible to wear was the Distinguished Service Cross for service June 9, 10, and 25, 1918, at Bois de Belleu, France. In this instance the regimental aid station in which he was working was hit by heavy shells and demolished on two successive days. Two men were killed and a number were wounded or badly hurt by falling timbers and stones. Surgeon Boone worked without cessation on wounded men, setting an inspiring example of heroism to the officers and men serving under him. On June 25, 1918, Surgeon Boone followed the attack of one battalion against enemy positions in the Bois de Bellue, establishing advanced dressing stations under continuous shelling. Boone's citation for the Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device was awarded during WW II while he was serving as fleet medical officer on the staff of the commander of the third fleet from May 28 to September, 1945. At that time he was a participant in the planning for the initial landings in the occupation of Japan, particularly in respect to the evacuation and care of Allied prisoners of war and was in a large measure responsible for the improvement of the Third Fleet's medical organization. This citation reads: "Leading a medical evacuation team into the interior of Japan on August 29, he instituted immediate steps to relieve the conditions among the prisoners and, after dealing with Japanese military officers and concentration camp officials prior to the enemy's formal surrender, succeeded in providing care for men who were suffering from starvation, disease, and malnutrition. By his professional skill, initiative and devotion throughout, Rear Admiral Boone upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service." At the end of WW I he served in the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department, and was Director of Naval Affairs of the American Red Cross from March 1939 to May 1922, when he reported for duty as medical officer aboard the presidential yacht, Mayflower. Boone's service extended to April 1929, and he was physician to Presidents Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, continuing this post until 1933. Rear Admiral J. T. Boone's decorations are legion: his service extended from Verdun, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Champagne and Meuse-Argonne in WW I to the shores of Japan and to service aboard the USS Saratoga in WW II. His is one of the most brilliant chapters of service in Schuylkill County military careers. (3/7/99: With special thanks to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for adding to the DoD report on the wartime exploits of Joel Thompson Boone.
*DAMATO, ANTHONY PETER
Shenandoah, Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Engebi Island, Pacific Theater. Citation: Feb. 19, 1944. "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with an assault company in action against enemy Japanese forces on Engebi Island, Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands, on the night of 1920 February 1944. Highly vulnerable to sudden attack by small, fanatical groups of Japanese still at large despite the efficient and determined efforts of our forces to clear the area, Cpl. Damato lay with two comrades in a large foxhole in his companys defense perimeter which had been dangerously thinned by the forced withdrawal of nearly half of the available men. When one of the enemy approached the foxhole undetected and threw in a hand grenade, Cpl. Damato desperately groped for it in the darkness. Realizing the imminent peril to all three and fully aware of the consequences of his act, he unhesitatingly flung himself on the grenade and, although instantly killed as his body absorbed the explosion, saved the lives of his two companions. Cpl. Damatos splendid initiative, fearless conduct and valiant sacrifice reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his comrades." (3/11/99 - Thanks to Jay Zane of the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for the following). When the destroyer "USS DAMATO" slid down the ways of the Bethlehem Steel Company's yards at Staten Island on November 21, 1945, its name reflected one of the most heroic acts of any Schuylkill County winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Corporal Anthony P. Damato, 21, of Shenandoah, died in a foxhole on Engibi Island in the Marshalls Group in the South Pacific on the night of Feb. 19, 1944, by throwing himself upon a Japanese-tossed hand grenade to save the lives of two comrades. But when his mother, Mrs. Frances Damato, smashed the traditional bottle of champagne over the bow of the destroyer bearing her son's name, she was already carrying the burden of the loss of another son, Captain Neil J. Damato, an Air Force bombardier, who had been missing in action since November, 1943. Neil had already been in the service when younger brother, Anthony, enlisted in the Marines a month and a day after Pearl Harbor. Corporal Damato's story of heroism is told graphically in the Citation listed above. Damato was the 26th member of the Marine Corps to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II and the ninth enlisted man, only two of which were alive at the time of the award of honor to him. He became Shenandoah's 23rd Gold Star of World War II. He was pronounced by his immediate commanding officer, Lt. Richard M. Pfuhl, "the best Marine in my outfit." In making the supreme sacrifice he saved the lives of his two buddies, Corporal Herman F. Dohms, Jr. and Pfc. George W. Gale. It was reported that the Japanese soldier who threw the grenade died immediately at the hands of a US Marine. Mrs. Damato's health did not permit her to receive her son's award from the President of the United States personally. The presentation was made April 9, 1945, in the Lincoln School Building, Shenandoah, by Brigadier General Maurice C. Gregory, USMC, acting for the President. Seven months and twelve days later the "USS DAMATO" slid down the ways at Staten Island to further memorialize this Schuylkill County hero.
*MESSERSCHMIDT, HAROLD O.
Grier City, Barnesville: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company L, 30th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division. Near Radden, France, 17 September 1944. Citation given: 17 July 1946. He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Braving machine-gun, machine pistol, and rifle fire, he moved fearlessly and calmly from man to man along his 40-yard squad front, encouraging each to hold against the overwhelming assault of a fanatical foe surging up the hillside. Knocked to the ground by a burst from an enemy automatic weapon, he immediately jumped to his feet, and ignoring his grave wounds, fired his submachine gun at the enemy that was now upon them, killing five and wounding many others before his ammunition was spent. Virtually surrounded by a frenzied foe and all of his squad now casualties, he elected to fight alone, using his empty submachine gun as a bludgeon against his assailants. Spotting one of the enemy about to kill a wounded comrade, he felled the German with a blow of his weapon. Seeing friendly reinforcements running up the hill, he continued furiously to wield his empty gun against the foe in a new attack, and it was thus that he made the supreme sacrifice. Sgt. Messerschmidts sustained heroism in hand-to-hand combat with superior enemy forces was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service. (11/21/98 We thank Mr. Paul Ryan of Allentown, Pa. for the information given us that enabled Messerschmidt to be placed in the right county after all these years. (3/7/99) Fewer Congressional Medal of Honor winners have fought against heavier odds on a battlefield than those that 20 year old Harold O. Messerschmidt faced on a ridge near Radden, France, on September 17, 1944. Sergeant Messerschmidt was just shy of his 21st birthday as a Third Infantry Division squad leader, when the United States 30th Infantry Regiment of the Third Division was fighting in the Vosges Mountains in September, 1944. The passes were narrow and the ground was too soft from the rain for the extensive use of armor. A forward platoon of Company L reached a ridge near Radden and began defensive preparations along a low rock wall in anticipation of enemy activity. Fierce enemy tank and 20 mm. fire swept over the ridge at noon on the 17th. Promptly a force of between 80 and 100 Germans counter-attacked the position. The right flank of the platoon with Sergeant Messerschmidt in charge bore the brunt of the attack. Major Robert B. Pridven, Henderson, North Carolina, commander of Company L, described Messerschmidt's actions thus: "In face of this heavy, direct fire which glanced off the stone wall behind which his squad was emplaced, Messerschmidt moved fearlessly from man to man along the entire length of the squad front. He encouraged and instructed them, meanwhile firing his Thompson sub-machinegun. The Germans charged up the hill under a storm of fire. When they came within a few dozen yards of the wall, they could hear them shouting insults in English and chanting that they wished to die for Hitler. They rushed into our fire in an insane frenzy as if they had been given liquor or drugs before the assault." Sergeant Messerschmidt's conduct under fire which won him posthumously the Medal of Honor was told with more drama by his fellow soldiers than by the staid language of his Citation. Said Sergeant Bob Tucker of Wellston, Ohio: "They were running like madmen, paying no attention to their casualties. With the Krauts practically on top of us and starting to rush in with hand grenades and bayonets, Messerschmidt was hit hard by automatic fire. He was knocked off his feet and lay sprawled on the ground for a second, shot in both chest and shoulder. He got up, and telling the rest to hold the line, he opened up with his tommy gun. Although he was badly wounded, he laid burst after burst of fire on everything moving up that hill slope. I saw Krauts falling all around him - one or two couldn't have been more than five yards away. In a matter of seconds he had killed about five and wounded many more. Messerschmidt shot 180 rounds and exhausted his ammunition. He didn't have time to get more ammunition and reload. I saw him grab his tommy gun by the barrel and crash the stock on the head of a German who was closing in on him. By now there wasn't a man in the squad who wasn't either killed or wounded. The Germans had broken through our positions and were all around us, trying to finish off those they hadn't already killed. Sergeant Messerschmidt dashed about ten yards through the melee just as a kraut was about to kill one of our wounded. He clouted the German with his tommy gun." Continuing the story of the action, Captain Glen Shuler, Columbia, South Carolina, said: "A few minutes later, I brought up another squad to drive out the Germans who had overrun Messerschmidt's sector. We repulsed them and regained the disputed ground. As we emerged on the crest, I saw Messerschmidt chasing a fleeing Kraut down the hill. The sergeant's body was found with head wounds and powder burns on the face about 200 yards down the slope. Sergeant Messerschmidt's last stand, carried on while wounded and without ammunition, enabled his outnumbered squad to hold its ridge position until reinforcements could arrive." Messerschmidt completed three years of high school and seven months as a pipefitter's helper in a Chester shipyard before he was inducted into the Army in May, 1943. He left for oversea duty in November, 1943, participated in the Italian and Southern France campaigns and was given the Combat Infantryman's Badge on May 9, 1944, at Anzio. His mother, Mrs. Cyrus Messerschmidt, was presented with the medal on August 2, 1946, by Brigadier General Williston B. Palmer, Commanding General of Carlisle Barracks, with his father and a brother, Cyrus A. Messerschmidt, present. (3/7/99: We extend our appreciation to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for giving us these long-lost details about Harold O. Messerschmidt. The text included here is from Herrwood E. Hobbs, and was taken from his article of May 29, 1953. It is also not known if Harold was related to the family who built the famous Nazi fighter that bore his last name.
*ROEDER, ROBERT E.
Summit Station, Captain, U.S. Army, Company G, 350th Infantry, 88th Infantry Division. Mt. Battaglia, Italy, 27-28 September 1944. Citation given: 17 April 1945. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Roeder commanded his company in defense of the strategic Mount Battaglia. Shortly after the company had occupied the hill, the Germans launched the first of a series of determined counterattacks to regain this dominating height. Completely exposed to ceaseless enemy artillery and small-arms fire, Capt. Roeder constantly circulated among his men, encouraging them and directing their defense against the persistent enemy. During the sixth counterattack, the enemy, by using flamethrowers and taking advantage of the fog, succeeded in overrunning the position Capt. Roeder led his men in a fierce battle at close quarters, to repulse the attack with heavy losses to the Germans. The following morning, while the company was engaged in repulsing an enemy counterattack in force, Capt. Roeder was seriously wounded and rendered unconscious by shell fragments. He was carried to the company command post, where he regained consciousness. Refusing medical treatment, he insisted on rejoining his men although in a weakened condition, Capt. Roeder dragged himself to the door of the command post and, picking up a rifle, braced himself in a sitting position. He began firing his weapon, shouted words of encouragement, and issued orders to his men. He personally killed two Germans before he himself was killed instantly by an exploding shell. Through Capt. Roeders able and intrepid leadership his men held Mount Battaglia against the aggressive and fanatical enemy attempts to retake this important and strategic height. His valorous performance is exemplary of the fighting spirit of the U.S. Army. (3/7/99: We extend our appreciation to Jay Zane and the Historical Society of Schuylkill County for giving us these details Capt. Roeder.)
CUNNINGHAM, FRANCIS M.
First Sergeant, Company H, 1st West Virginia Cavalry. Sailors Creek, Va., 6 April 1865. Citation: 3 May 1865. Capture of battle flag of 12th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.) in hand-to-hand battle while wounded.
MOSTOLLER, JOHN W.
Private, Company B, 54th Pennsylvania Infantry. Lynchburg, Va., 18 June 1864. Citation: 27 December 1894. Voluntarily led a charge on a Confederate battery (the officers of the company being disabled) and compelled its hasty removal.
*WEICHT, ELLIS R.
Clearville, Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company F, 142nd Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. St. Hippolyte, France, 3 December 1944. Citation: 19 July 1945. For commanding an assault squad in Company Fs attack against the strategically important Alsatian town of St. Hippolyte on 3 December 1944. He aggressively led his men down a winding street, clearing the houses of opposition as he advanced. Upon rounding a bend, the group was suddenly brought under the fire of two machine-guns emplaced in the door and window of a house 100 yards distant. While his squad members took cover, Sgt. Weicht moved rapidly forward to a high rock wall and, fearlessly exposing himself to the enemy action, fired two clips of ammunition from his rifle. His fire proving ineffective, he entered a house opposite the enemy gun position, and, firing from a window, killed the two hostile gunners. Continuing the attack, the advance was again halted when two 20-mm. guns opened fire on the company. An artillery observer ordered friendly troops to evacuate the area and then directed artillery fire upon the gun positions. Sgt. Weicht remained in the shelled area and continued to fire on the hostile weapons. When the barrage lifted and the enemy soldiers attempted to remove their gun, he killed two crewmembers and forced the others to flee. Sgt. Weicht continued to lead his squad forward until he spotted a road block approximate 125 yards away. Moving to the second floor of a nearby house and firing from a window, he killed three and wounded several of the enemy. Instantly becoming a target for heavy and direct fire, he disregarded personal safety to continue his fire, with unusual effectiveness, until he was killed by a direct hit from an antitank gun.
*RAMER, GEORGE H .
Meyersdale, Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Korea, 12 September 1951. Citation: Date Unknown. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as leader of the 3rd Platoon in Company I, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Ordered to attack and seize hostile positions atop a hall, vigorously defended by well-entrenched enemy forces delivering massed small-arms mortar, and machine-gun fire, 2nd Lt. Ramer fearlessly led his men up the steep slopes and although he and the majority of his unit were wounded during the ascent, boldly continued to spearhead the assault. With the terrain becoming more precipitous near the summit and the climb more perilous as the hostile forces added grenades to the devastating hail of fire, he staunchly carried the attack to the top, personally annihilated one enemy bunker with grenade and carbine fire and captured the objective with his remaining eight men. Unable to hold the position against an immediate, overwhelming hostile counterattack, he ordered his group to withdraw and single-handedly fought the enemy to furnish cover for his men and for the evacuation of three fatally wounded marines. Severely wounded a second time, 2nd Lt. Ramer refused aid when his men returned to help him and, after ordering them to seek shelter, courageously manned his post until the hostile troops overran his position and he fell mortally wounded. His indomitable fighting spirit, inspiring leadership and unselfish concern for others in the face of death, reflect the highest credit upon 2nd Lt. Ramer and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
*SPEICHER, CLIFTON T .
Gray, Corporal, U.S. Army, Company F, 223nd Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division. Near Minarigol, Korea, 14 June 1952. Citation: 19 August 1953. Cpl. Speicher distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. While participating in an assault to secure a key terrain feature, Cpl. Speichers squad was pinned down by withering small-arms mortar, and machine-gun fire. Although already wounded he left the comparative safety of his position, and made a daring charge against the machine-gun emplacement. Within 10 yards of the goal, he was again wounded by small-arms fire but continued on, entered the bunker, killed two hostile soldiers with his rifle, a third with his bayonet, and silenced the machine-gun. Inspired by this incredible display of valor, the men quickly moved up and completed the mission. Dazed and shaken, he walked to the foot of the hill where he collapsed and died. Cpl. Speichers consummate sacrifice and unflinching devotion to duty reflect lasting glory upon himself and uphold the noble traditions of the military service.
HOTTENSTINE, SOLOMON J.
Private, Company C, 107th Pennsylvania Infantry. Petersburg and Norfolk Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Citation given: 2 February 1865. Captured flag belonging to a North Carolina regiment, and through a ruse led them into the arms of Federal troops.
(Additional information 4/23/99 courtesy of Dick McCracken, Director, Bradford County Dept. of Veterans Affairs) Hottenstine was born in 1841 in Sullivan County and passed away in Manassas, VA on May 23, 1896. He is believed to be buried in or around Manassas. He entered the service on Feb. 25, 1862 and departed the military on July 13, 1865.
His deed is described as follows (Source: Our Boys in Blue; Vol I; by C.F. Heverly; 1898; Towanda, PA.; pp. 17-19): "A good-natured "Dutchman" who was braver than he was awkward, residing just across the line in Sullivan county, went out with the Overton boys, enlisting as a private in Co C of the 107th P.V. Infantry. Our hero was Solomon Hottenstein, familiarly known as "Little Solly." That he was an excellent soldier and a brave man, may be seen from the following: At the Weldon railroad on the 19th of August, 1864, the enemy succeeded in flanking Crawford's division right and left, compelling it to fall back, and in the confusion taking many prisoners, the 107th losing six officers and 147 men, Private Hottenstein being one of the number. The young German did not like the idea of being a prisoner of war and moreover had a great horror for rebel prisons. He, therefore, proposed to make his escape or die in the attempt. He quietly got the ear of his companions and at the opportune moment, he leading the 300 others of the division who were prisoners with him, they sprang upon the guard, disarming them, forced them to yield, and brought them all into the Union lines. Hottenstein seized the color guard and tore the rebel flag, that of the 18th North Carolina, from his hands. For this act of gallantry he was awarded a furlough of thirty days and a medal of honor from the Secretary of War. "Solly" says that he "got the medal but not the furlough." He was twice promoted for gallantry. He was wounded at Dabney Mills but continued in the service until his regiment was mustered out in July, 1865. In 1885 Sergeant Hottenstein went South and purchased a farm, o ccupying a part of the old battlefield at Manassas, where he was residing at the time of his death, May 23, 1896, at the age of 55 years.
McKOWN, NATHANIEL A.
Sergeant, Company B, 58th Pennsylvania Infantry. Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Citation: 6 April 1865. Capture of flag.
WRIGHT, ALBERT D.
Elkland, Captain, Company G, 43nd U.S. Colored Troops. Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864. Citation: 1 May 1893. Advanced beyond the enemys lines, capturing a stand of colors and its color guard; was severely wounded.
PETTY, PHILIP
Born in England on May 7, 1840. Sergeant, Company A, 136th Pennsylvania Infantry. Fredericksburg, Va., 13 December 1862. Citation: 21 August 1893. Took up the colors as they fell out of the hands of the wounded color bearer and carried them forward in the charge. This MOH recipient may be buried in the Gillett Cemetery in Tioga County.
REED, WILLIAM
Private, Company H, 8th Missouri Infantry. Vicksburg, Miss., 22 May 1863. Citation: 12 December 1895. Gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party.
*KELLY, JOHN D.
Venango Township, Technical Sergeant (then Corporal), U.S. Army, Company E, 314th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division. Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, 25 June 1944. Citation: 24 January 1945. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On 25 June 1944, in the vicinity of Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, when Cpl. Kellys unit was pinned down by heavy enemy machine-gun fire emanating from a deeply entrenched strongpoint on the slope leading up to the fort, Cpl. Kelly volunteered to attempt to neutralize the strongpoint. Arming himself with a pole charge about 10 feet long and with 15 pounds of explosive affixed, he climbed the slope under a withering blast of machine-gun fire and placed the charge at the strongpoints base. The subsequent blast was ineffective, and again, alone and unhesitatingly, he braved the slope to repeat the operation. This second blast blew off the ends of the enemy guns. Cpl. Kelly then climbed the slope a third time to place a pole charge at the strongpoints rear entrance. When this had been blown open he hurled hand grenades inside the position, forcing survivors of the enemy gun crews to come out and surrender. The gallantry, tenacity of purpose, and utter disregard for personal safety displayed by Cpl. Kelly were an incentive to his comrades and worthy of emulation by all.
LYTLE, LEONIDAS S.
Sergeant, Company C, 8th U.S. Cavalry. Fort Selden, N. Mex., 8 to 11 July 1873. Citation: 12 April 1875 for services against hostile Indians.
ANDERSON, THOMAS
Corporal, Company I, 1st West Virginia Cavalry. Appomattox Station, Va., 8 April 1865. Citation: 3 May 1865 for capture of Confederate flag. Buried at Ten Mile Dunkard Cemetery in Ten Mile, Pa.
BAIRD, ABSALOM
Washington, Brigadier General, United States Volunteers. Citation at Jonesboro, Arkansas, 1 September, 1864. Buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
BINGHAM, HENRY H.
Canonsburg (also shows Philadelphia), Captain, 140th Pennsylvania Infantry, USA. Citation on 6 May, 1864 at Battle of the Wilderness, Va. Buried at North Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
BOON, HUGH P.
Washington, Captain, 1st West Virginia Cavalry. Citation on 6 April, 1865 at Sailor's Creek, Va. Buried in Lot 22, Washington Cemetery.
CARSON, WILLIAM J.
Musician, Company E, 1st Battalion, 15th U.S. Infantry. Chickamauga, Ga., 19 September 1863. Citation: 27 January 1894. At a critical stage in the battle when the 14th Corps lines were wavering and in disorder he on his own initiative bugled to the colors amid the 18th U.S. Infantry who formed by him, and held the enemy. Within a few minutes he repeated his action amid the wavering 2nd Ohio Infantry. This bugling deceived the enemy who believed reinforcements had arrived. Thus, they delayed their attack.
CUNNINGHAM, JAMES S.
Private, Company D, 8th Missouri Infantry. Vicksburg, Miss., 22 May 1863. Citation: 30 July 1894. Gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party.
SLUSHER, HENRY C.
Lone Pine. Private, Company F, 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry. Note (Co. E, LaFayette Cavalry, Ringgold Battalion). This company did not become part of the 22nd until spring, 1864, at Cumberland, Md.) Moorefield, W. Va., 11 September 1863. Citation: 4 April 1898. Voluntarily crossed South branch of the Potomac River under fire to rescue a wounded comrade held prisoner by the enemy. Was wounded and taken prisoner in the attempt. Buried at Lone Pine Cemetery off I-79. (His MOH was placed in his gravemarker at Lone Pine, Pa. and was reported stolen some years back by his family.)
SMALLEY, REUBEN S.
Private, Company D, 104th Illinois Infantry. Elk River, Tenn., 2 July 1863. Citation: 30 October 1897. Voluntarily joined a small party that, under a heavy fire, captured a stockade and saved the bridge.
HILL, JAMES M.
First Sergeant, Company A, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Turret Mountain, Ariz., 25 March 1873. Citation: 2 August 1875 for gallantry in action. Buried at Vancouver Barracks Post in Vancouver, Washington.
PAIGE, MITCHELL
Charleroi, Platoon Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Solomon Islands, 26 October 1942. Citation: Date Unknown. For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with a company of marines in combat against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands on 26 October 1942. When the enemy broke through the line directly in front of his position, P/Sgt. Paige, commanding a machine-gun section with fearless determination, continued to direct the fire of his gunners until all his men were either killed or wounded. Alone, against the deadly hail of Japanese shells, he fought with his gun and when it was destroyed, took over another, moving from gun to gun, never ceasing his withering fire against the advancing hordes until reinforcements finally arrived. Then, forming a new line, he dauntlessly and aggressively led a bayonet charge, driving the enemy back and preventing a breakthrough in our lines. His great personal valor and unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. (6/21/00) Sgt. Paige, later given a commission as a lieutenant, remained in the Marine Corps after World War II, retiring as a Colonel in 1964. He still lectures on battlefield tactics and investigates Medal of Honor impostors from his home in La Quinta, Riverside County, California, near Palm Springs.
MARM, WALTER JOSEPH, JR.
Washington, First Lieutenant (then 2nd Lt.), U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Vicinity of la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 14 November 1965. Citation: 15 February 1967. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. As a platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), 1st Lt. Marm demonstrated indomitable courage during a combat operation. His company was moving through the valley to relieve a friendly unit surrounded by an enemy force of estimated regimental size. 1st Lt. Marm led his platoon through withering fire until they were finally forced to take cover. Realizing that his platoon could not hold very long, and seeing four enemy soldiers moving into his position, he moved quickly under heavy fire and annihilated all four. Then, seeing that his platoon was receiving intense fire from a concealed machine-gun, he deliberately exposed himself to draw its fire. Thus locating its position, he attempted to destroy it with an antitank weapon. Although he inflicted casualties, the weapon did not silence the enemy fire. Quickly, disregarding the intense fire directed on him and his platoon, he charged 30 meters across open ground, and hurled grenades into the enemy position, killing some of the 8 insurgents manning it. Although severely wounded, when his grenades were expended, armed with only a rifle, he continued the momentum of his assault on the position and killed the remainder of the enemy. 1st Lt. Marms selfless actions reduced the fire on his platoon, broke the enemy assault, and rallied his unit to continue toward the accomplishment of this mission. 1st Lt. Marms gallantry on the battlefield and his extraordinary intrepidity at the risk of his life are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country. Retired with the rank of Colonel and is now living in North Carolina. (Thanks to Edward Snarey, Washington County)
TAYLOR, KARL GORMAN, SR.
Avella, Staff Sergeant, 3rd Marine Division, USMC. Citation dated 8 December, 1968, Republic of Vietnam. Buried at Independence Cemetery on Rt. 844 in Washington County. (Thanks to Edward Snarey, Washington County)
PAYNE, IRVIN C.
Corporal, Company M, 2nd New York Cavalry. Sailors Creek, Va., 6 April 1865. Citation: 3 May 1865. Capture of Virginia State colors.
SHOPP, GEORGE J.
Equinunk, Private, Company E, 191st Pennsylvania Infantry. Five Forks, Va., 1 April 1865. Citation: 27 April 1865. Capture of flag.
DELANEY, JOHN C.
Honesdale, born in Ireland. Sergeant, Company I, 107th Pennsylvania Infantry. Danbys mills, Va., 6 February 1860. Citation: 29 August 1894. Sprang between the lines and brought out a wounded comrade about to be burned in the brush.
MURPHY, EDWARD F.
Corporal, Company D, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Milk River, Colo., 29 September 1879. Citation: 23 April 1880 for gallantry in action.
EWING, JOHN C.
Private, Company E, 211th Pennsylvania Infantry. Petersburg, Va., 2 April 1865. Citation: 20 May 1865. Capture of flag.
HARMON, AMZI D.
Corporal, Company K, 211th Pennsylvania Infantry. Petersburg, Va., 2 April 1865. Citation: 20 May 1865. Capture of flag.
MATTHEWS, JOHN C.
Corporal, Company A, 61st Pennsylvania Infantry. Petersburg, Va., 2 April 1865. Citation: 13 February 1891. Voluntarily took the colors, whose bearer had been disabled, and, although himself severely wounded, carried the same until the enemys works were taken.
MECHLIN, (MECHLING) HENRY W. B.
Mount Pleasant, Blacksmith, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Citation: 29 August 1878 for, along with three (3) comrades during the entire engagement, courageously holding a position that secured water for the command. (Buried in McChesneytown on Wood St. Latrobe. Grave vandalized and may be difficult to locate.)
*CAREY, ALVIN P.
Lycippus, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 38th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division. Near Plougastel, Brittany, France, 23 August 1944. Citation: 11 May 1945. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, on 23 August 1944. S/Sgt. Carey, leader of a machine-gun section, was advancing with his company in the attack on the strongly held enemy hill 154, near Plougastel, Brittany, France. The advance was held up when the attacking units were pinned down by intense enemy machine-gun fire from a pillbox 200 yards up the hill. From his position covering the right flank, S/Sgt. Carey displaced his guns to an advanced position and then, upon his own initiative, armed himself with as many hand grenades as he could carry and without regard for his personal safety started alone up the hill toward the pillbox. Crawling forward under its withering fire, he proceeded 150 yards when he met a German rifleman whom he killed with his carbine. Continuing his steady forward movement until he reached grenade-throwing distance, he hurled his grenades at the pillbox opening in the face of intense enemy fire which wounded him mortally. Undaunted, he gathered his strength and continued his grenade attack until one entered and exploded within the pillbox, killing the occupants and putting their guns out of action. Inspired by S/Sgt. Careys heroic act, the riflemen quickly occupied the position and overpowered the remaining enemy resistance in the vicinity. On Nov.11,1998, Carey's widow, Anna Mae Carey Dixon, and his sister, Pearl Carey, donated S/Sgt Carey's seven medals, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Medal Of Honor, to the Alvin P. Carey High School in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, during Veteran's Day services there. S/Sgt Carey's remains were returned to his hometown on July 16, 1948, and he is buried in the Ligonier Valley Cemetery. Born in Lycippus, Pa. in 1916, Carey attended elementary school in nearby Laughlintown and was a 1935 graduate of Ligonier High School. He was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad prior to his enlistment in the Army in 1943, and he and the former Anna Mae Ankney were married on Oct. 5, 1942. The school now named in his honor gave 630 students and faculty members to the fighting in WW II.
SHOMO, WILLIAM A.
(Air Mission): Jeannette, Major, U.S. Army Air Corps, 82nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. Over Luzon, Philippine Islands, 11 January 1945. Citation: 7 April 1945. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Maj. Shomo was lead pilot of a flight of two fighter planes charged with an armed photographic and strafing mission against the Aparri and Laoag airdromes. While enroute to the objective, he observed an enemy twin engine bomber, protected by 12 fighters, flying about 2,500 feet above him and in the opposite direction Although the odds were 13 to 2, Maj. Shomo immediately ordered an attack. Accompanied by his wingman he closed on the enemy formation in a climbing turn and scored hits on the leading plane of the third element, which exploded in midair. Maj. Shomo then attacked the second element from the left side of the formation and shot another fighter down in flames. When the enemy formed for Counterattack, Maj. Shomo moved to the other side of the formation and hit a third fighter which exploded and fell. Diving below the bomber he put a burst into its underside and it crashed and burned. Pulling up from this pass he encountered a fifth plane firing head on and destroyed it. He next dived upon the first element and shot down the lead plane; then diving to 300 feet in pursuit of another fighter he caught it with his initial burst and it crashed in flames. During this action his wingman had shot down three planes, while the three remaining enemy fighters had fled into a cloudbank and escaped. Maj. Shomos extraordinary gallantry and intrepidity in attacking such a far superior force and destroying seven enemy aircraft in one action is unparalleled in the Southwest Pacific area.
Shomo worked for the Sherman W. Mason Funeral Home in Jeannette prior to the war, and his aircraft was nicknamed "Flying Undertaker." Shomo stayed in the military for 28 years after joining in 1940, and upon retirement in 1968 he worked with the Allegheny County Sheriff's Department and then for PENNDOT. A veteran of 203 command missions and 609 combat hours, Major Shomo passed away in 1990 at the age of 72.
ILGENFRITZ, CHARLES H.
Sergeant, Company E, 207th Pennsylvania Infantry. Fort Sedgwick, Va., 2 April 1865. Citation: Unknown. The color bearer falling, pierced by 7 balls, he immediately sprang forward and grasped the colors, planting them upon the enemys forts amid a murderous fire of grape, canister, and musketry from the enemy.
QUAY, MATTHEW S.
Dillsburg, Colonel, 134th Pennsylvania Infantry. Fredericksburg, Va., 13 December 1862. Citation: 9 July 1888. Although out of service, he voluntarily resumed duty on the eve of battle and took a conspicuous part in the charge on the heights.
SPRINGER, GEORGE
Private, Company G, 1st U.S. Cavalry. Chiricahua Mountains, Ariz., 20 October 1869. Citation: 14 February 1870 for gallantry in action.
HOMETOWN OR COUNTY UNKNOWN, MEDALS ACCREDITED TO PENNSYLVANIA & MEDALS WON BY MEMBERS OF PENNSYLVANIA UNITS
CLARK, WILLIAM A.L
Corporal, Company H, 2nd Minnesota Infantry. Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Citation: 11 September 1897. Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train.
CLlFFORD, ROBERT T.
Master-at-Arms, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Shokokon, Wilmington, NC, 22 August 1863. Citation: 31 December 1864. Served on board the U.S.S. Shokokon at New Topsail Inlet off Wilmington, N.C., 22 August 1863. Participating in a strategic plan to destroy an enemy schooner, Clifford aided in the portage of a dinghy across the narrow neck of land separating the sea from the sound. Launching the boat in the sound, the crew approached the enemy from the rear and Clifford gallantly crept into the rebel camp and counted the men who outnumbered his party three to one. Returning to his men, he ordered a charge in which the enemy was routed, leaving behind a schooner and a quantity of supplies.
CONNOR, WILLIAM C.
Boatswains Mate, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Howquah, 25 September 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. Served on board the U.S.S. Howquah on the occasion of the destruction of the blockade runner Lynx, off Wilmington, 25 September 1864. Performing his duty faithfully under the most trying circumstances, Connor stood firmly at his post in the midst of a crossfire from the rebel shore batteries and our own vessels.
CRAWFORD, ALEXANDER
Fireman, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Wyalusing, 25 May 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. On board the U.S.S. Wyalusing, Crawford volunteered 25 May 1864, in a night attempt to destroy the rebel ram Albemarle in the Roanoke River. Taking part in a plan to explode the rebel ram Albemarle, Crawford executed his part in the plan with perfection, but upon being discovered, was forced to abandon the plan and retire leaving no trace of the evidence. After spending two hazardous days and nights without food, he gained the safety of a friendly ship and was then transferred back to the Wyalusing. Though the plan failed his skill and courage in preventing detection were an example of unfailing devotion to duty.
FISHER, JOHN H.
Monmouth, unknown County, First Lieutenant, Company B, 55th Illinois Infantry. Vicksburg, Miss., 22 May 1863. Citation: 2 September 1893. Gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party.
HOFFMAN, THOMAS W.
Perrysburg, Pa., unknown County. Captain, Company A, 208th Pennsylvania Infantry. Petersburg, Va., 2 April 1865. Citation: 19 July 1895. Prevented a retreat of his regiment during the battle.
HYATT, THEODORE
First Sergeant, Company D, 127th Illinois Infantry. Vicksburg, Miss., 22 May 1863. Citation: 9 July 1894. Gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party. (2/20/00 - Courtesy of Harry Lamb) The Medal Of Honor Historical Society reports that the remains Theodore Hyatt were moved from Lockport, Illinois to the new Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery at Elwood, Illinois.
LAWSON, JOHN
Landsman, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Hartford at Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. On board the flagship U.S.S. Hartford during successful attacks against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats and the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864. Wounded in the leg and thrown violently against the side of the ship when an enemy shell killed or wounded the six-man crew as the shell whipped on the berth deck, Lawson, upon regaining his composure, promptly returned to his station and, although urged to go below for treatment, steadfastly continued his duties throughout the remainder of the action.
MAY, WILLIAM
Private, Company H, 32nd Iowa Infantry. Nashville, Tenn., 16 December 1864. Citation: 24 February 1865. Ran ahead of his regiment over the enemys works and captured from its bearer the flag of Bonanchads Confederate battery (C.S.A.).
McWlLLlAMS, GEORGE W.
Landsman, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Pontoosuc at Fort Fisher and Wilmington NC, 24 December 1864 to 22 February 1865. Citation: 22 June 1865. Served on board the U.S.S. Pontoosuc during the capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington, 24 December 1864, to 22 February 1865. Carrying out his duties faithfully throughout this period, McWilliams was so severely wounded in the assault upon Fort Fisher that he was sent to the hospital at Portsmouth, Va. McWilliams was recommended for his gallantry, skill and coolness in action while under the fire of the enemy.
MERRIFIELD, JAMES K.
Corporal, Company C, 88th Illinois Infantry. Franklin, Tenn., 30 November 1864. Citation: 28 March 1896. Captured two battle flags from the enemy and returned with them to his own lines.
TANNER, CHARLES B.
Second Lieutenant, Company H, 1st Delaware Infantry. Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Citation: 13 December 1889. Carried off the regimental colors, which had fallen within 20 yards of the enemys lines, the color guard of nine men having all been killed or wounded; was himself three times wounded.
WILLIAMS, JOHN
Seaman, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Commodore Perry at Franklin, Va. 3 October 1862. Citation: 3 April 1863. On board the U.S.S. Commodore Perry in the attack upon Franklin, Va., 3 October 1862. With enemy fire raking the deck of his ship and blockades thwarting her progress, Williams remained at his post and performed his duties with skill and courage as the Commodore Perry fought a gallant battle to silence many rebel batteries as she steamed down the Blackwater River.
BALDWIN, CHARLES
Accredited to Pennsylvania: Born in Delaware. Coal Heaver, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Wyalusing, Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. Serving on board the U.S.S. Wyalusing and participating in a plan to destroy the rebel ram Albermarle in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Volunteering for the hazardous mission, C.H. Baldwin participated in the transfer of 2 torpedoes across an island swamp. Weighted by a line which was used to transfer the torpedoes, he swam the river and, when challenged by a sentry, was forced to abandon the plan after erasing its detection and before it could be carried to completion. Escaping the fire of the muskets, C.H. Baldwin spent two days and nights of hazardous travel without food, and finally arrived, fatigued, at the mother ship.
ANDERSON, EVERETT W.
Serving with Pennsylvania Unit. Born in Louisiana. Sergeant, Company M, 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Crosbys Creek, Tenn., 14 January 1864. Citation: 3 December 1894. Captured, single-handed, Confederate Brig. Gen. Robert B. Vance during a charge upon the enemy.
BEYER, HILLARY
Second Lieutenant, Company H, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Citation: 30 October 1896. After his command had been forced to fall back, remained alone on the line of battle, caring for his wounded comrades and carrying one of them to a place of safety.
BONNAFFON, SYLVESTER, JR.
First Lieutenant, Company G, 99th Pennsylvania Infantry. Boynton Plank Road, Va., 27 October 1864. Citation: 29 September 1893. Checked the rout and rallied the troops of his command in the face of a terrible fire of musketry; was severely wounded.
BREYER, CHARLES
Sergeant, Company I, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Rappahannock Station, Va., 23 August 1862. Citation: 8 July 1896. Voluntarily, and at great personal risk, picked up an unexploded shell and threw it away, thus doubtless saving the life of a comrade whose arm had been taken off by the same shell.
BUTTERFIELD, DANIEL
Born at Utica, NY. Commanded Pennsylvania Troops. Wrote Taps using last five bars of French Bugle Call Tattoo. The Taps melody was played for the first time by O.W. Norton of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers on July 2, 1862. Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers. Gaines Mill, Va., 27 June 1862. Citation: 26 September 1892. Seized the colors of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers at a critical moment and, under a galling fire of the enemy, encouraged the depleted ranks to renewed exertion.
DAY, CHARLES
Born in Otsego County, NY. Private, Company K, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry. Hatchers Run, Va., 6 February 1865. Citation: 20 July 1897. Seized the colors of another regiment of the brigade, the regiment having been thrown into confusion and the color bearer killed, and bore said colors throughout the remainder of the engagement.
DEAKIN, CHARLES
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in New York, NY. Boatswains Mate, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Richmond in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. As captain of a gun on board the U.S.S. Richmond during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks, Deakin fought his gun with skill and courage throughout a furious 2 hour battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram Tennessee and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan. He also participated in the actions at Forts Jackson and St. Philip.
DE LAVIE, HIRAM H.
Born in Stark County, Ohio. Sergeant, Company I, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry. Five Forks, Va., 1 April 1865. Citation: 10 May 1865. Capture of flag.
DEMPSTER, JOHN
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Scotland. Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS New Ironsides at Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864 and 13, 14, and 15 January 1865. Citation: 22 June 1865. Dempster served on board the U.S.S. New Ironsides during action in several attacks on Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864; and 13, 14, and 15 January 1865. The ship steamed in and took the lead in the ironclad division close inshore and immediately opened its starboard battery in a barrage of well directed fire to cause several fires and explosions and dismount several guns during the first 2 days of fighting. Taken under fire as she steamed into position on 13 January, the New Ironsides fought all day and took on ammunition at night despite severe weather conditions. When the enemy came out of his bombproofs to defend the fort against the storming party, the ships battery disabled nearly every gun on the fort facing the shore before the cease fire orders were given by the flagship.
DOOLEN, WILLIAM
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Ireland. Coal Heaver, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Richmond in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. On board the U.S.S. Richmond during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Although knocked down and seriously wounded in the head, Doolen refused to leave his station as shot and shell passed. Calm and courageous, he rendered gallant service throughout the prolonged battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram Tennessee and in the successful attacks carried out on Fort Morgan despite the enemys heavy return fire.
FRY, ISAAC N.
Orderly Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Aboard USS Ticonderoga at Fort Fisher 13 to 15 January 1865. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Ticonderoga during attacks on Fort Fisher, 13 to 15 January 1865. As orderly sergeant of marine guard, and captain of a gun, Orderly Sgt. Fry performed his duties with skill and courage as the Ticonderoga maintained a well placed fire upon the batteries to the left of the palisades during the initial phases of the three day battle, and thereafter, as she considerably lessened the firing power of guns on the mount which had been turned upon our assaulting columns. During this action the flag was planted on one of the strongest fortifications possessed by the rebels.
FUNK, WEST
Born in Boston, Mass. Major, 121st Pennsylvania Infantry. Appomattox Courthouse, Va., 9 April 1865. Citation: 15 October 1872. Capture of flag of 46th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.).
FURNESS, FRANK
Born November 12, 1839: Died June 27, 1912. Captain, Company F, 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Trevilian Station, Va., 12 June 1864. Citation: 20 October 1899. Voluntarily carrier a box of ammunition across an open space swept by the enemys fire to the relief of an outpost whose ammunition had become almost exhausted, but which was thus enabled to hold its important position. Furness refused his Congressional Medal of Honor, but later accepted it just before his death in 1912. A well known Philadelphia architect between 1870 and 1900, Furness designed banks, churches and synagogues, as well as rail stations for the Pennsylvania and Baltimore & Ohio railroads. His works included mansions, mostly stone, for the wealthy in and around the Philadelphia's "Main Line." Furness studied architecture in France when the war ended, and he designed Philadelphia's Academy of Fine Arts located at North Broad Street at Cherry Street in Phila. He is buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pa, in Section "S."
GRACE, PETER
Born at Berkshire, Mass. Sergeant, Company G, 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Wilderness, Va., 5 May 1864. Citation: 27 December 1894. Singlehanded, rescued a comrade from two Confederate guards, knocking down one and compelling surrender of the other.
HART, JOHN W.
Born in Germany. Sergeant, Company D, 6th Pennsylvania Reserves. Gettysburg, P., 2 July 1863. Citation: 3 August 1897. Was one of six volunteers who charged upon a log house near the Devils Den, where a squad of the enemys sharpshooters were sheltered, and compelled their surrender.
JOHNSON, WALLACE W.
Born in Newfield, NY. Sergeant, Company G, 6th Pennsylvania Reserves. Gettysburg, Pa., 2 July 1863. Citation: 8 August 1900. With five other volunteers gallantly charged on a number of the enemys sharpshooters concealed in a log house, captured them, and brought them into the Union lines.
KEOUGH, JOHN
Born in Ireland. Corporal, Company E, 67th Pennsylvania Infantry. Sailors Creek, Va., 6 April 1865. Citation: 3 May 1865. Capture of battle flag of 50th Georgia Infantry (C.S.A.).
LAFFERTY, JOHN
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in New York, NY. Fireman, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Wyalusing in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. Served on board the U.S.S. Wyalusing and participated in a plan to destroy the rebel ram Albemarle in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Volunteering for the hazardous mission, Lafferty participated in the transfer of two torpedoes across an island swamp and then served as sentry to keep guard of clothes and arms left by other members of the party. After being rejoined by others of the party who had been discovered before the plan could be completed, Lafferty succeeded in returning to the mother ship after spending 24 hours of discomfort in the rain and swamp.
LEAR, NICHOLAS
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Rhode Island. Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS New Ironsides at Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864 and 13, 14 and 15 January 1865. Citation: 22 June 1865. Lear served on board the U.S.S. New Ironsides during action in several attacks on Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864; and 13, 14, and 15 January 1865. The ship steamed in and took the lead in the ironclad division close inshore and immediately opened its starboard battery in a barrage of well-directed fire to cause several fires and explosions and dismount several guns during the first two days of fighting. Taken under fire as she steamed into position on 13 January, the New Ironsides fought all day and took on ammunition at night despite severe weather conditions. When the enemy came out of his bombproofs to defend the fort against the storming party, the ships battery disabled nearly every gun on the fort facing the shore before the cease-fire order was given by the flagship.
LEON, PIERRE
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in New Orleans, La. Captain of the Forecastle, U.S. Navy. Aboard the USS Baron De Kalb, Yazoo River, 23 to 27 December 1862. Citation: 3 April 1863. Serving on board the U.S.S. Baron De Kalb, Yazoo River Expedition, 23 to 27 December 1862. Proceeding under orders up the Yazoo River, the U.S.S. Baron De Kalb, with the object of capturing or destroying the enemys transports, came upon the steamers John Walsh, R. J. Locklan, Golden Age and the Scotland sunk on a bar where they were ordered fired. Continuing up the river, she was fired on, but upon returning the fire, caused the enemys retreat. Returning down the Yazoo, she destroyed and captured larger quantities of enemy equipment and several prisoners. Serving bravely throughout this action, Leon, as captain of the forecastle, distinguished himself in the various actions.
LLOYD, BENJAMIN
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in England. Coal Heaver, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Wyalusing in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. Serving on board the U.S.S. Wyalusing and participating in a plan to destroy the rebel ram Albemarle in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Volunteering for the hazardous mission, Lloyd participated in the transfer of two torpedoes across an island swamp. Serving as boatkeeper, he aided in rescuing others of the party who had been detected before the plan could be completed, but who escaped, leaving detection of the plan impossible. By his skill and courage, Lloyd succeeded in returning to the mother ship after spending 24 hours of discomfort in the rain and swamp.
MARTIN, EDWARD S.
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Ireland. Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Calena in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Citation: 22 June 1865. On board the U.S.S. Calena during the attack on enemy forts at Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Securely lashed to the side of the Oneida which had suffered the loss of her steering apparatus and an explosion of her boiler from enemy fire, the Calena aided the stricken vessel past the enemy forts to safety. Despite heavy damage to his ship from raking enemy fire, Martin performed his duties with skill and courage throughout the action.
MARTIN, JAMES
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Derry, Ireland. Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Aboard USS Richmond in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Citation: 31 December 1864. As captain of a gun on board the U.S.S. Richmond during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks, Sgt. Martin fought his gun with skill and courage throughout the furious 2 hour battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram Tennessee and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan.
MUNSELL, HARVEY M.
Born in Steuben County, NY. Sergeant, Company A, 99th Pennsylvania Infantry. Gettysburg, Pa, 1 to 3 July 1863. Citation: 5 February 1866. Gallant and courageous conduct as color bearer. (This noncommissioned officer carried the colors of his regiment through 13 engagements.)
ORTEGA, JOHN
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Spain. Seaman, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Saratoga. Citation: 31 December 1864. Served as seaman on board the U.S.S. Saratoga during actions of that vessel on 2 occasions. Carrying out his duties courageously during these actions, Ortega conducted himself gallantly through both periods. Promoted to acting masters mate.
PALMER, WILLIAM J.
Born in Leipsic, Kent County, Del. Colonel, 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Red Hill, Ala., 14 January 1865. Citation: 24 February 1894. With less than 200 men, attacked and defeated a superior force of the enemy, capturing their fieldpiece and about 100 prisoners without losing a man.
PHILLIPS, JOSIAH
Born in Wyoming County, NY. Private, Company E, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry. Sutherland Station, Va., 2 April 1865. Citation: 10 May 1865. Capture of flag.
RANNAHAN
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in County Monahan, Ireland. Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Aboard USS Minnesota at Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Citation: 22 June 1865. On board the U.S.S. Minnesota in the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Landing on the beach with the assaulting party from his ship, Cpl. Rannahan advanced to the top of the sand hill and partly through the breach in the palisades despite enemy fire which killed or wounded many officers and men. When more than two-thirds of the men became seized with panic and retreated on the run, he remained with the party until dark when it came safely away, bringing its wounded, its arms and its colors.
SACRISTE, LOUIS J.
(Photo) Born in New Castle County, Del. First Lieutenant, Company D, 116th Pennsylvania Infantry. Chancellorsville, Va., 3 May 1863. Citation: 3I January 1889. Saved from capture a gun of the 5th Maine Battery. Voluntarily carried orders which resulted in saving from destruction or capture the picket line of the 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps. (August 6, 1999) If you're related to this man, please take a few minutes and contact another Sacriste descendant, Lindalouise DeMattei at Sacriste relatives. Lindalouise provided us with the photo of Louis and she would enjoy sharing information with other possible descendants.
SWAP, JACOB E.
Born in Calnehoose, NY. Private, Company H, 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Wilderness, Va., 5 May 1864. Citation: 19 November 1897. Although assigned to other duty, he voluntarily joined his regiment in a charge and fought with it until severely wounded.
TAYLOR, ANTHONY
Born October 11, 1837 in Burlington, NJ. Died May 21, 1984. First Lieutenant, Company A, 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Chickamauga, Ga., 20 September 1863. Citation: 4 December 1893. Held out to the last with a small force against the advance of superior numbers of the enemy. Taylor is buried in Saint James the Less Episcopal Church burial ground in Philadelphia, Pa.
THOMPSON, HENRY A.
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in England. Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Aboard USS Minnesota at Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Citation: 22 June 1865. On board the U.S.S. Minnesota in the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Landing on the beach with the assaulting party from his ship, Private Thompson advanced partly through a breach in the palisades and nearer to the fort than any man from his ship despite enemy fire which killed or wounded many officers and men. When more than two-thirds of the men became seized with panic and retreated on the run, he remained with the party until dark, when it came safely away, bringing its wounded, its arms and its colors.
VEALE, MOSES
Born in Bridgeton, NJ. Captain, Company F, 109th Pennsylvania Infantry. Wauhatchie, Tenn., 28 October 1863. Citation: 17 January 1894. Gallantry in action manifesting throughout the engagement coolness, zeal, judgment, and courage. His horse was shot from under him and he was hit by 4 enemy bullets.
WAINWRIGHT, JOHN
Born in Syracuse, NY. First Lieutenant, Company F, 97th Pennsylvania Infantry. Fort Fisher, N.C., 15 January 1865. Citation: 24 June 1890. Gallant and meritorious conduct, where, as first lieutenant, he commanded the regiment.
WARD, NELSON W.
Born in Columbiana County, Ohio. Private, Company M, 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Staunton River Bridge, Va., 25 June 1864. Citation: 10 September 1897. Voluntarily took part in a charge; went alone in front of his regiment under a heavy fire to secure the body of his captain, who had been killed in the action.
WHITE, JOSEPH
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Washington, DC. Captain of the Gun, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS New Ironsides at Fort Fisher, 24 and 24 December, 1864 and 13, 14 and 15 January, 1865. Citation: 22 June 1865. White served on board the U.S.S. New Ironsides during action in several attacks on Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864; and 13,14, and 15 January 1865. The ship steamed in and took the lead in the ironclad division close inshore and immediately opened its starboard battery in a barrage of well-directed fire to cause several fires and explosions and dismount several guns during the first two days of fighting. Taken under fire as she steamed into position on 13 January, the New Ironsides fought all day and took on ammunition at night despite severe weather conditions. When the enemy came out of his bombproofs to defend the fort against the storming party, the ships battery disabled nearly every gun on the fort facing the shore before the cease-fire order was given by the flagship.
WILLIAMS, PETER
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Norway. Seaman, U.S. Navy. Aboard Ironclad Steamer USS Monitor at Hampton Roads, 9 March 1862. Citation: 3 April 1863. Serving on board the U.S.S. Ironclad Steamer Monitor, Hampton Roads, 9 March 1862. During the engagement between the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Merrimack, Williams gallantly served throughout the engagement as quartermaster, piloting the Monitor throughout the battle in which the Merrimack, after being damaged, retired from the scene of the battle. (The following information was received from Mabry Tyson and we have added it here with our thanks.)
The Confederate ship was the C.S.S. Virginia. It was rebuilt from the USS Merrimack after she was scuttled and burned by the US Navy. The Union newspapers tended to call her the "Merrimac" (without the "k"). What is usually done is to refer to the ship as the "CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimack)". A listing of the Monitor's crew at Tyson's site (http://members.aol.com/vacsn) shows Peter Williams as Acting Master's Mate (and someone else as quartermaster) but I suspect that your information is right that he served as quartermaster during the battle. I'll have to go back to the sources. The quartermaster was in the pilot house with Captain Worden when Worden was blinded by a shot that hit opposite the eyehole. I believe one article did refer to the quartermaster by name but I'll have to dig it out. I have seen it reported that the quartermaster, without orders, steered the Monitor away from the battle and into shallow water near Hampton Creek where the Virginia could not battle, after Worden was wounded. The Executive Officer, Dana Greene, in one of his later articles states that Worden gave the order to "Sheer off".
WILLIAMS, WILLIAM
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Ireland. Landsman, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Lehigh in Charleston Harbor, 16 November 1863. Citation: 16 April 1864. On board the U.S.S. Lehigh, Charleston Harbor, 16 November 1863, during the hazardous task of freeing the Lehigh, which had been grounded, and was under heavy enemy fire from Fort Moultrie. After several previous attempts had been made, Williams succeeded in passing in a small boat from the Lehigh to the Nahant with a line bent on a hawser. This courageous action while under severe enemy fire enabled the Lehigh to be freed from her helpless position.
WILLIS, RICHARD
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in England. Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS New Ironsides at Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864 and 13, 14 and 15 January 1865. Citation: 22 June 1865. Willis served on board the U.S.S. New Ironsides during action in several attacks on Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864; and 13, 14 and 15 January 1865. The ship steamed in and took the lead in the ironclad division close inshore and immediately opened its starboard battery in a barrage of well-directed fire to cause several fires and explosions and dismount several guns during the first two days of fighting. Taken under fire as she steamed into position on 13 January, the New Ironsides fought all day and took on ammunition at night, despite severe weather conditions. When the enemy troops came out of their bombproofs to defend the fort against the storming party, the ships battery disabled nearly every gun on the fort facing the shore before the cease-fire order was given by the flagship.
CROUSE, WILLIAM ADOLPHUS
Tannettsburg, Watertender, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Concord, Cavite, Manila Bay, P.I., 21 May 1898. Citation: 14 December 1898. On board the U.S.S. Concord off Cavite, Manila Bay, P.I., 21 May 1898. Following the blowing out of a lower manhole plate joint on boiler B of that vessel, Crouse hauled the fires in the hot, vapor-filled atmosphere which necessitated the playing of water into the fireroom from a hose.
PFEIFER, LOUIS FRED
Philadelphia, Pa. Accredited to New Jersey. Private, U.S. Marine Corps. (Served as Theis, Louis F., during first enlistment.) Aboard USS Petrel, 31 March 1901. Citation: 22 March 1902. Serving on board the U.S.S. Petrel; for heroism and gallantry, fearlessly exposing his own life to danger for the saving of the others on the occasion of the fire on board that vessel, 31 March 1901.
GIRANDY, ALPHONSE
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Guadeloupe, West Indies. Seaman, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Petrel, 31 March 1901. Citation: 22 March 1902. Serving on board the U.S.S. Petrel, for heroism and gallantry, fearlessly exposing his own life to danger for the saving of others, on the occasion of the fire on board that vessel, 31 March 1901.
PETERS, ALEXANDER
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Russia. Boatswains Mate First Class, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS Missouri, 15 September 1904. Citation: 4 October 1904. For heroism in attempting to rescue from drowning Cecil C. Young, ordinary seaman, 15 September 1904, while serving on board the U.S.S. Missouri.
CRILLEY, FRANK WILLIAM
Accredited to Pennsylvania. Born in Trenton, NJ. Chief Gunners Mate, U.S. Navy. Aboard USS S-4 near Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, 25 March 1915. Citation: 19 November 1928. For display of extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession above and beyond the call of duty during the diving operations in connection with the sinking in a depth of water 304 feet, of the U.S.S. S-4 with all on board, as a result of loss of depth control, which occurred off Honolulu, T.H., on 25 March 1915. On 17 April 1915, William F. Loughman, chief gunners mate, U.S. Navy, who had descended to the wreck and had examined one of the wire hawsers attached to it, upon starting his ascent, and when at a depth of 250 feet beneath the surface of the water, had his lifeline and air hose so badly fouled by this hawser that he was unable to free himself; he could neither ascend nor descend. On account of the length of time that Loughman had already been subjected to the great pressure due to the depth of water, and of the uncertainty of the additional time he would have to be subjected to this pressure before he could be brought to the surface, it was imperative that steps be taken at once to clear him. Instantly, realizing the desperate case of his comrade, Crilley volunteered to go to his aid, immediately donned a diving suit and descended. After a lapse of time of 2 hours and 11 minutes, Crilley was brought to the surface, having by a superb exhibition of skill, coolness, endurance and fortitude, untangled the snarl of lines and cleared his imperiled comrade, so that he was brought, still alive, to the surface.
LOWRY, GEORGE MAUS
Eve, Ensign, U.S. Navy. Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21-22 April 1914. Citation: 4 December 1915. For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21-22 April 1914; Ens. Lowry was in both day's fighting at the head of his company, and was eminent and conspicuous in his conduct, leading his men with skill and courage.
SCHAFFNER, DWITE H.
Arroya, First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 306th Infantry, 77th Division. Near St. Huberts Pavillion, Boureuilles, France, 28 September 1918. Citation: 1923. He led his men in an attack on St. Huberts Pavillion through terrific enemy machine-gun, rifle, and artillery fire and drove the enemy from a strongly held entrenched position after hand-to-hand fighting. His bravery and contempt for danger inspired his men, enabling them to hold fast in the face of three determined enemy counterattacks. His companys position being exposed to enemy fire from both flanks, he made three efforts to locate an enemy machine-gun which had caused heavy casualties. On his third reconnaissance he discovered the gun position and personally silenced the gun, killing or wounding the crew. The third counterattack made by the enemy was initiated by the appearance of a small detachment in advance of the enemy attacking wave. When almost within reach of the American front line the enemy appeared behind them, attacking vigorously with pistols, rifles, and hand grenades, causing heavy casualties in the American platoon. 1st Lt. Schaffner mounted the parapet of the trench and used his pistol and grenades killing a number of enemy soldiers, finally reaching the enemy officer leading the attacking forces, a captain, shooting and mortally wounding the latter with his pistol, and dragging the captured officer back to the companys trench, securing from him valuable information as to the enemys strength and position. The information enabled 1st Lt. Schaffner to maintain for five hours the advanced position of his company despite the fact that it was surrounded on three sides by strong enemy forces. The undaunted bravery, gallant soldierly conduct, and leadership displayed by 1st Lt. Schaffner undoubtedly saved the survivors of the company from death or capture.
PETTY, ORLANDO HENDERSON
Appointed from Pennsylvania. Born in Harrison, Ohio. Lieutenant (Medical Corps), USNRF. Boise de Belleau, France, 11 June 1918. Citation: Date Unknown. For extraordinary heroism while serving with the 5th Regiment, U.S. Marines, in France during the attack in the Boise de Belleau, 11 June 1918. While under heavy fire of high explosive and gas shells in the town of Lucy, where his dressing station was located, Lt. Petty attended to and evacuated the wounded under most trying conditions. Having been knocked to the ground by an exploding gas shell which tore his mask, Lt. Petty discarded the mask and courageously continued his work. His dressing station being hit and demolished, he personally helped carry Capt. Williams, wounded, through the shellfire to a place of safety.
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