Some More About the Gettysburg Medals of Honor Recipients

Same surce as the last two.

**  Of the 64 Battle of Gettysburg recipients, only 20 received them during the war.

**  Corporal Joseph De Castro became the first Hispanic  Medal of Honor recipient.

**  Lt. Alonzo Cushing received his Medal of Honor 151 years after he was killed.

**  Corporal Thaddeus Smith of the 6th Pennsylvania Reserves is the youngest Gettysburg recipient at age 16.  He was also the last Gettysburg recipient to die in March 1933.

**  Only one of the recipients was killed in the battle, Lt. Alonzo Cushing.

**  One bugler (Charles Reed) and one musician (Richard Enderlin) earned the Medal of Honor at Gettysburg.

--Old Secesh

 

Medals of Honor at Gettysburg

Since I have been writing about Richard Enderlin receiving a Medal of Honor for what he did at the Battle of Gettysburg, I decided to take a look at other Medals of Honor given at this, the arguably biggest battle of the war.

From the National Medal of Honor Museum "The Battle of Gettysburg and the Medal of Honor."

Ten different Union soldiers earned their Medal of Honor on the first day, July 1.

Twenty-two different soldiers earned it on the second day (including Richard Enderlin), July 2.

Thirty-two Union soldiers won theirs on the 3rd day, July 3.

This was more than any other single battle in the Eastern Theater of the war.  Only twenty received their Medal during the Civil War.  Forty more were awarded between 1897 and 1905.  The last Medal of Honor recipient from Gettysburg, Corporal Thaddeus  Smith of the 6th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry, would die in March  1933.

--Old Secesh

Richard Enderlin to Be Inducted Into Ohio's Military Hall of Fame for Valor This May

From the April 18, 2023, Chillicothe (Ohio) News "Recognized  for service:  Local Civil War veteran once saved the life of Nixon's great grandfather" by Shelby Reeves.

Quite the coincidence that I had just found out about Richard Enderlin in the last few weeks and to come across this article.  Like I said, you never know where you're going to go when you start RoadTripping Through History.

Richard Enderlin is getting another honor next month.

The Ohio Military Hall of Fame and Valor was established in 2000 to recognize Ohio servicemen and women who were decorated for heroism while in combat situations.

He is one of 11 members of this year's class to be inducted after his death.  There are a total of 24 honorees who served from trhe Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom.

His Medal of Honor and another medal are on display at the Ross County  Heritage Center in Chillicothe, Ohio.

--Old Secesh

Richard Enderlin's Statue Returns to Chillicothe's Yoctangee Park

From the July 1, 2021,  littermedia "Civil War statue returns to Yoctangee Park" by Mike Smith.

The statue at the head of Chillicothe's Yoctangee Park was damaged by a traffic crash in December 2019.  It has now been repaired and returned to its pedestal.

Although Richard Enderlin's name appears on the pedestral, the Union soldier statue is not him, but represents the men who served with him.

Its return on June 30th comes just in time to commemorate the 158 years since Medal of Honor recipient Richard Enderlin "voluntarily took a rifle and served  as a soldier in the ranks during the first and second days of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Voluntarily and at his imminent peril went into the enemy's lines at night and, under a sharp fire, rescued a wounded comrade."

The inscription of it reads:

"Erected 1917 by Richard Enderlin, Co. B, 73 Regt. O.V.V.I. to the memory of his comrades who helped preserve the Union.  LOYALTY"

It is so refreshing to see statues being returned instead of removed or torn down.

--Old Secesh

Some More on Richard Enderlin-- Part 3: Medal of Honor and a Long Life

I found out that both George Nixon and Richard Enderlin were in the same Company B of the 73rd Ohio.

For his extraordinary courage, Richard Enderlin was promoted to sergeant the next day.  He continued his duties as musician until seriously wounded himself in the spring of 1864.  He finished the war in the Veteran Reserve Corps.

Then on September 11, 1897, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Enderlin went on to live a long life and died February 11, 1930 and is buried at Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio, his hometown.  Chillicothe had  a memorial to Enderlin outside of Yoctangee Park.

--Old Secesh

Richard Enderlin, Medal of Honor Recipient: His MoH Citation

Rank and Organization:  Musician, Company B, 73rd Ohio Infantry.

Place and Date:    Gettysburg, Pennsylvania  1-3 July 1863

Entered service:  At Chillicothe, Ohio

Birth:  Germany

Date of Issue:  September 11, 1897

**************************

CITATION

"The President of the United States on America in the name of  Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Musician Richard Enderlin, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism from 1 to 3 July 1863, while serving with Comapny B, 73rd Ohio Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

"Musician Enderlin voluntarily took a rifle and served as a soldier in the ranks during the first and second days of the battle.  Voluntarily and at his own imminent peril, went  into the enemy's lines at night and, under sharp fire, rescued a wounded comrade."  (That would be President Nixon's great-grandfather.)

--Old Secesh

Richard Enderlin, Medal of Honor Recipient: Helped President Nixon's Grandfather

From Wikipedia.

Born January 11, 1843 -- Died February 11, 1930

Was a musician and U.S. soldier who received a Medal of Honor  for heroism in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Born in Germany and grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio.  Enlisted in the Army in November 1861.

He thought his unit was not directly engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg, so the bugler voluntarily joined the defense of Cemetery Ridge.  In July 2, 1863, during combat, George Nixon III (the grandfather of President Richard Nixon) was mortally wounded and was carried out of harm's way by Enderlin.

For this action, he was promoted to sergeant the next day and received a Medal of Honor for it on September 11, 1897.

He was later wounded in the foot at the Battle of Dallas (in the Atlanta Campaign).  He served the rest of the war in the  Veteran Reserve Corps until his discharge in May 1865.

Enderlin is buried at Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio.

--Old Secesh

RoadTrippin' Time, Chillicothe's Grandview Cemetery

In my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog I have been writing about the 27th USCT (United States Colored Troops) Infantry Regiment which took part in the Battle of Fort Fisher.

I found that two members of the 27th had a last name of Butler and were buried in Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio.  In keeping with my RoadTripping Through History thing, I had to take a look at others buried in this cemetery and see if any were of special interest.  They were.

Also, this cemetery obviously was not a segregated one.

There were quite a few governors, Congressmen and Senators from Ohio along with several Civil War brevet generals and one Medal of Honor recipient.  Also, several veterans from the War of 1812.  I will be writing about the Civil War men in this blog.  The War of 1812 men will be in my Not So Forgotten:  War of 1812 blog.

The Civil War generals were Joseph Scott Fullerton, Joshua Woodrow Sill and Richard Long, Jr.  The Medal of Honor recipient was Richard Enderlin.

--Old Secesh