Sgt. Henry H. Taylor at Vicksburg-- Part 2

Art Fort Hill, the colors of the Forty-fifth remained until the line could be extended to another work farther to the right, which was also blown up.  Then, as the general saw that he could not hold the position and prevent its reconstruction without remaining in the crater, he withdrew the troops about seventy-five feet from it, and there remained his position until the surrender of Vicksburg.

This work was done under the orders of Generals Logan and McPherson.  The mining was done underbthe immediate guidance and supervision of General A. Hickenlooper, the corps engineer.

--Old Secesh

Sgt. Henry H. Taylor at Vicksburg-- Part 1

From "Deeds of Honor:  How America's  Heroes Won Medals of Honor" by Walter  F. Beyer, Oscar Frederick Keydel, 1901.

FIRST UNION FLAG IN VICKSBURG

When Fort Hill, one of the defenses  of Vicksburg, was undermined and blown up on the 25th of June, the 45th Illinois, of which Sergeant Henry H. Taylor was color-bearer, was the first regiment taken into the breach by General  M. D. Leggett, and fought there most gallantly until relieved.

According to the statement by General Leggett, he struggle was desperate.  The regimental colors were bravely supported  by Sergeant Taylor, and the first to be placed  in the rebel works during the siege.  

In the assault on the 22nd of May, a color bearer, further to the left of McClernand's front, had advanced far enough to plant his flag on or against the enemy's works.  This achievement, however,  was not regarded  as the placing of the Union's colors on the rebel works, as they were not held there.

--Old Secesh

Sgt. Henry H. Taylor, Medal of Honor Recipient

Last month I wrote about Sgt. Henry H. Taylor getting a Medal of Honor for action at Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Here is his Find-A-Grave information:

BIRTH:  4 July 1841,  Galena, Illinois

DEATH:  3 May 1909 (aged 67), Leavenworth, Kansas

BURIAL:  Greenwood Cemetery, Clay Center, Kansas

Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.  Born in Galena, Illinois, he became a  sergeant in Company C, 45th Illinois Infantry Regiment.  At Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi,  on June 25, 1863, Sergeant Taylor was first to plant colors on the Confederate fortifications on Fort Hill.

For this heroic  action in the face of the enemy, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on September 1, 1893.

He gave the city of Clay Center the cemetery.

--Old Secesh

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

 

Preservation at Champion Hill, Mississippi

From the May 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

The fierce clash at Champion Hill, Mississippi, was the largest, bloodiest and most significant battle of the Vicksburg Campaign of 1863.

On land owned by Sid and Matilda Champion, Grant's army drove the Confederates back to the relative safety of their fortifications at Vicksburg and set the stage for a game-changing siege.

Today, the Champion family still calls this historic spot home but has kindly worked with the Trust to ensure that their ancestral lands are preserved for generations to come.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Battles of Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House Begin, Lincoln Buried

From the 2023 May American Battlefield Trust calendar.

MAY 1, 1863

**  Battle of Chancellorsville, Virgina, begins.

MAY 4, 1865

**  Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois.

MAY 5, 1865

**  Battle of  the Wilderness, Virginia, begins.

MAY 8, 1864

**  Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, begins.

MAY 10, 1863

**  Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia at Guinea Station, Virginia.

MAY 10, 1865

*  Union troops capture a fleeing Jefferson Davis in Georgia.

--Old Secesh

Alonzo Cushing Was Last Gettysburg Medal of Honor Recipient in 2014

Same source as last post.

When Pickett's Charge finally reached the famed "copse of trees" on Cemetery Ridge, Union canister continued blowing holes in their ranks.  1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing commanded one of the Federal batteries there.

He received a severe abdomen wound and two of his guns were knocked out.  Even so, he refused to be taken off the field and kept his men firing at the advancing Confederates.  Later, he was hit in the mouth by a Minie ball bullet and was killed.

One hundred and fifty-one years after the battle, he would receive his Medal of Honor from President Obama.

Personally, I think that Alonzo Cushing's brother, Navy Lt. William Cushing should also receive one for his daring deeds, including sinking the feared Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle with a small steam launch.

--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

Some More on Sgt. Henry H. Taylor: Early Military Career

From the Encyclopedia Dubuque, (Iowa)

Assigned to the 45th Illinois on November 20, 1861.  The regiment was officially mustered into federal service on December 25, 1861, in Camp Douglas, Chicago.

The 45th would fight in many major battles including Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh,  Corinth, Vicksburg Campaign, Atlanta Campaign and the Carolina's Campaign.

Taylor mustered in as a private and rose to the rank of sergeant of Company C where he became the color bearer.

It was during the Vicksburg Campaign that Henry Taylor merited the Medal of Honor.  On June 30, 1863, after the reduction of the Third Louisiana Redan, by an underground mine, the infantry was sent into the breach.

--Old Secesh

Some More on Sgt. Henry H. Taylor- Part 2

This is also called the Battle of Vicksburg Crater.  Explosives were placed in a mine under this part of the Confederate defensive lines and exploded, creating a huge gap in their lines.  Union infantry was sent in.  (I have also been writing about the 27th USCT regiment which went on a similar mission to exploit the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg and later participated in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog.)

The 45th Illinois was part of U.S. Brigadier General Mortimer D. Leggett's First Brigade, assigned to U.S. Major General John Logan's First Division of Major General James B. McPherson's XVII Corps.

The regiment was led by Colonel Jasper Maltby and rushed into the gaping hole left by the detonation of the mine in what Gen. Leggett describd as "desperate" fighting.  Taylor, as color bearer was in the front of the regiment.

As they clawed their way to the top of the Third Louisiana Redan, Sgt, Taylor planted the regiment's colors on the works.  The fighting would continue until late in the night.  The federaal troops eventually pulled back 75 feet to a position they held until the city's surrender on July 4, 1863.

Taylor received his Medal of Honor during the fight which also became known as "General Logan's Canal."

After the surrender, the 45th Illinois was the first regiment into the city.

Taylor remained with the 45th until he was mustered out on September 8, 1864, when his three year term of enlistment expired.

After the war, he and his wife Margery, lived in Wyandotte, Kansas, where he worked as a banker.

--Old Secesh

Sgt. Henry H. Taylor, Medal of Honor Recipient from Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry

I wrote about him back on April 13.  He will be having a bust dedicated in Galena this Saturday.

From Wikipedia.

Received the country's highest military honor for action at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on June 25, 1863.  Received the Medal of Honor on 1 September 1893.

He was born in Galena, Illinois, on July 4, 1841, and enlisted in Company C of the 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry in Galena.  He died on May 3, 1909 and is buried  in Clay Center, Kansas.

MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION:

"Was the first to plant the Union colors upon the enemy's works."

--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

Some More on Richard Enderlin, Medal of Honor Recipient-- Part 2

From the July 6, 2020, "Medal of Honor Monday:  Army Sgt. Richard Enderelin" by Katie Lange.

Richard Enderlin was born in Baden, Germany on January 11, 1843, but grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio.  As a member of Company B of the 73rd Ohio, he found himself at the Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863.  

He voluntarily joined in the defense of Cemetery Ridge, thinking that his unit was not directly involved in the battle.  But it turned out that this ridge, in the middle of the Union defense was the main object of Confederate attacks.

He earned his Medal of Honor during the night of July 2-3 when he rescued Private George Nixon, the great-grandfather of future President Richard Nixon.  According to the National Civil War Museum, George Nixon had been seriously wounded and lay between Cemetery Ridge and the Confederate position.

After hearing Nixon's cries of pain, Enderlin put down his instrument (he was a musician) and picked up a rifle and went to Nixon's exposed position at great peril and under heavy fire and dragged him back to safety.

Unfortunately, Nixon did not survive his wounds.  He died several years later and is buried at the National Cemetery at Gettysburg.

--Old Secesh