First Army Medal of Honor Awarded in Civil War
By Joan Wenner, J.D. · Originally published October 2023 · pp. 20
First Army Medal of Honor Awarded in Civil War
By Joan Wenner, J.D. Army Private Jacob Parrott was born in 1843 at Fairfield County, Ohio. He enlisted in the Union’s 33rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company K, during April 1862. Soon after, he and nearly twodozen other volunteers were given orders to travel deep into enemy territory and destroy bridges and railroad tracks between Chattanooga and Atlanta. Near Atlanta they boarded a train heading north. When the train stopped at Big Shanty, Ga., passengers and crew got off for breakfast, but the Union raiders stay aboard, “beginning their covert mission by uncoupling the engine, fuel car and three boxcars and steaming out of the station.” Jacob Parrott and his fellow compatriots were able to gain a little distance and damage a few bridges, but the Confederate pursuit, including railroad men and soon, soldiers commandeered another train and went in hot pursuit. The Union men uncoupled some cars but this move was said to have had little effect. When arriving at the Georgia-Tennessee border, and out of fuel, they tried to escape from their pursuers on foot, but all were captured. After being a prisoner and allegedly severely beaten numerous times, Jacob Parrott was eventually returned to Union authorities in a prisoner exchange in March 1863. Newly promoted 1st Lieutenant Parrott, and five other raid survivors, were awarded the first Army Medal of Honor for their part in the southern raid on March 25, 1863.
Medal of Honor The award was created on December 21, 1861, when President Lincoln signed into law a bill providing for a medal for enlisted U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel “to be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen, and Marines as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry and other seaman-like qualities. On July 12, 1862, a similar award was created for soldiers and noncommissioned officers of the U.S. Army. Throughout the war and for decades thereafter, the Medal was awarded quite freely; ;some after an individual’s personal written request, and sometimes with no notable acts of bravery mentioned in the citation. One certain way to earn the medal was to capture a flag. In 1897, President McKinley enacted reforms tightening the criteria to include eyewitness testimony attesting to a service member’s “gallantry and intrepidity” above and beyond the call of duty. In 1905 Theodore Roosevelt ordered that, if at all possible, the award should be presented to the recipient by the president on behalf of congress. In 1963, the US Air Force medal of honor was created and Congress clarified the criteria further. In the years since the Civil War, some 4,000+ service members of many different backgrounds and branches have earned it. For additional information, see the U.S. Army Department of Defense News, Katie Lange, 2017 and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website: cmohs.org Joan Wenner, J.D. with a law degree is a longtime contributor to CWN and other historical publications and has a special interest in maritime and courts martials. Comments are welcomed at: joan_writer@ yahoo.com
Rank: Private (Highest Rank: First Lieutenant) Conflict/Era: U.S. Civil War Unit/Command: Company K, 33d Ohio Infantry Military Service Branch: U.S. Army Medal Of Honor Action Date: April 5, 1862 Medal Of Honor Action Place: Georgia CITATION One of 19 of 24 men (including two civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchell, penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta. Accredited To: Kenton, Hardin County, Ohio Awarded Posthumously: No Presentation Date & Details: March 25, 1863 Washington, D.C., Presented By Sec. Of War Edwin M. Stanton Born: July 17, 1843, Fairfield County, Oh, United States Died: December 22, 1908, Buck, Oh, United States Buried: Grove Cemetery (Mh), Kenton, Oh, United States Location Of Medal: West Point Museum (1863 Design), West Point, Ny ; Hardin County Museums (1904 Design), Kenton, Oh