James Sweeney (September 24, 1845 – June 26, 1931) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Battle of Cedar Creek fought near Middletown, Virginia on October 19, 1864. The battle was the decisive engagement of Major General Philip Sheridan's Valley Campaigns of 1864 and was the largest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley.
James Sweeney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 24, 1845 Manchester, England |
| Died | June 26, 1931 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army Union Army |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 1st Vermont Cavalry |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War • Battle of Cedar Creek |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Military career
editSweeney enlisted in the 1st Vermont Cavalry[1][2][3][4][note 1] and was sworn into federal service on Tuesday, November 19, 1861.[7] He saw service with regiment in the eastern theater. He was at the Battle of Winchester, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Third Battle of Winchester, and the Battle of Cedar Creek.[7] A private in Company A, he captured a regimental color, an ambulance, and three officers including the mortally wounded Maj. Gen. Stephen Ramseur[note 2] at Cedar Creek for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.[9]
Medal of Honor citation
editRank and organization: Private, Company A, 1st Vermont Cavalry. Place and date: At Cedar Creek, Virginia, October 19, 1864. Entered service at: Burlington, Vermont. Born: September 24, 1845, Manchester, England. Date of issue: November 26, 1864.
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Corporal Frederick A. Lyon, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 19 October 1864, while serving with Company A, 1st Vermont Cavalry, in action at Cedar Creek, Virginia. With one companion, Corporal Lyon captured the flag of a Confederate regiment, three officers, and an ambulance with its mules and driver.[10][11][12][13]
The companion mentioned in his citation was corporal Frederick A. Lyon, who also received the Medal of Honor. Sweeney was sent to Washington, D.C., with the captured Confederate battle flag.[9] He was personally introduced to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton by General George Custer. Stanton personally presented the Medal of Honor to Sweeney, who was also promoted to corporal.
See also
edit
References
editNotes
- ^ The 1st Vermont Cavalry was a three years' cavalry regiment[5] in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater from November 1861 to August 1865, in the Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac.[6] For more information see its Wikipedia article here.
- ^ The mortally wounded general Ramseur, who died the next day, was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina on May 31, 1837. Ramseur studied at Davidson Collegebefore the West Point where he graduated in 1860. An ardent seccessionist and white supremecist, he was assigned to the U.S. Artillery just before the start of the war, but he resigned before his state seceded and joined the developing Confederate States Army in Alabama. An intensely devout man, he justified slavery as a divinely blessed institution, like many in the South, and by the time he entered West Point he bore great hatred for all Northerners.[8] An injury from a horse fall delayed his joining the Army of Northern Virginia until the Peninsula Campaign in the spring of 1862. He had campaigned through all of Lee's campaigns from thence on. For more information see his Wikipedia article here.
Citations
- ^ Peck (1892), pp. 225, 741.
- ^ Civil War in the East, 1st Vermont Volunteer Cavalry Regiment.
- ^ NPS 1st Regiment, Vermont Cavalry.
- ^ VCW, 1st Vermont Cavalry (2004).
- ^ Dyer (1908), pp. 1647–1648; Federal Publishing Company (1908), pp. 128–129.
- ^ Benedict (1886), pp. 533–695.
- ^ a b Benedict (1886), p. 533; Dyer (1908), p. 1647; Federal Publishing Company (1908), p. 128.
- ^ Lewis (1991), pp. 141–142.
- ^ a b Beyer & Keydel (1901), p. 447.
- ^ MoHC, Frederick A. Lyon (2018).
- ^ CMH, Sweeney, James (2007).
- ^ CMOHS, James Sweeney (2014).
- ^ Sightline Media Group,James Sweeney (2020).
Sources
- Benedict, George Grenville (1886). "The First Cavalry Regiment" (pdf). Vermont in the Civil War: A History of the Part Taken by the Vermont Soldiers and Sailors in the War for the Union, 1861-5. Vol. II. Burlington, VT: Free Press Association. pp. 669–670. LCCN 02015600. OCLC 301252961. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - Beyer, Walter F.; Keydel, Oscar F. (1901). Deeds of Valor: how America's Heroes Won the Medal of Honor: A History of Our Country's Recent Wars in Personal Reminiscences and Records of Officers and Enlisted Men who Were Rewarded by Congress for Most Conspicuous Acts of Bravery on the Battle-field, on the High Seas and in Arctic Exploration (pdf). Vol. I (1st ed.). Detroit, MI: Perrien-Keydel Co. p. 447. LCCN tmp96003978. OCLC 557990533. Retrieved 13 May 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Dyer, Frederick Henry (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (PDF). Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. pp. 4, 45, 233, 274, 301, 309, 326, 351, 378, 409, 1647–1648. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q. Retrieved 8 August 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Federal Publishing Company (1908). Military Affairs and Regimental Histories of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, And Delaware (PDF). The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861–65 – Records of the Regiments in the Union army – Cyclopedia of battles – Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. Vol. I. Madison, WI: Federal Publishing Company. pp. 128–129. OCLC 694018100. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Lewis, Thomas A. (1991) [1988]. The Guns of Cedar Creek (pdf) (Dell Paperback 1991 ed.). New York, NY: Dell. pp. 141–142. ISBN 978-0-440-50414-6. LCCN 87046153. OCLC 24338344. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- Peck, Theodore Safford (1892). Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers and lists of Vermonters Who Served in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion, 1861-66 (pdf). Montpelier, VT: Press of the Watchman Publishing Co. pp. 225, 741. hdl:2027/coo1.ark:/13960/t9p27g94k. LCCN 02016124. Retrieved 25 November 2015.} This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- "1st Vermont Volunteer Cavalry Regiment". The Civil War in the East. 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- "Battle Unit Details, 1st Regiment, Vermont Cavalry". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Vermont in the Civil War (2004). "1st Vermont Cavalry". vermontcivilwar.org. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- "Frederick A. Lyon". www.mohconvention.com. 20 November 2018. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - U.S. Army Center of Military History (14 December 2007). "Medal of Honor Recipients – Civil War (M-Z)". history.army.mil. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- "Medal of Honor Recipient". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- "Hall of Valor: The Military Medals Database". The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
External links
edit- Military Times Hall of Valor
- Findagrave entry
- Vermont in the Civil War Archived 11 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
 | This article about a person of the American Civil War is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |