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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Sergeant Major · U.S. Army

Abraham Cohn

Sergeant Major Abraham Cohn, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on July 30, 1864 at Wilderness Campaign & at the mine, Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War July 30, 1864Born in Poland

Sergeant Major Abraham Cohn was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 30, 1864 at Wilderness Campaign & at the mine, Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with 6th New Hampshire Infantry. Cohn was about 32 years old.

21 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on August 24, 1865. He later rose to the rank of Captain.

Cohn was born in 1832 in Guttentag, Silesia, Poland (Prussia) — one of 6 recipients born in Poland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Campton, Grafton County, New Hampshire. Cohn died on June 2, 1897 in New York, New York, at the age of about 65. He is buried at Beth Olam Cemetery in Ridgewood, New York. His medal is held by National Museum of American Jewish Military History, Washington, DC.

Cohn is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 35 credited to New Hampshire.

Official Medal of Honor citation

During Battle of the Wilderness rallied and formed, under heavy fire, disorganized and fleeing troops of different regiments. At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864, bravely and coolly carried orders to the advanced line under severe fire.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Dobrodzień — map
  • Died: New York City — map
  • Buried: Beth Olam Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New Hampshire →

Timeline

  1. 1832
    Born in Guttentag, Silesia, Poland (Prussia)
  2. July 30, 1864
    Act of valor — Wilderness Campaign & at the mine, Petersburg, Virginia
    Age about 32. 6th New Hampshire Infantry
  3. August 24, 1865
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. June 2, 1897
    Died in New York, New York
    Age about 65.
  5. Resting place
    Beth Olam Cemetery
    Ridgewood, New York

Biography

Abraham Cohn (June 17, 1832, in Guttentag, Prussia; died June 2, 1897, in New York City) was an American Civil War Union Army soldier and recipient to the highest military decoration for valor in combat — the Medal of Honor — for having distinguished himself at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, and the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864. Cohn originally enlisted with the 68th New York Infantry Regiment in October 1861, and rose to the rank of Captain before being discharged in December 1862. He re-enlisted with the 6th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment in January 1864, and was mustered out in July 1865.

From the Wikipedia article “Abraham Cohn”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on July 30, 1864

Delavan Bates Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 Isaac Swartwood Catlin Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 AD Andrew Davidson First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 CD Charles H. Depuy First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 RD Robert Fulton Dodd Private · Army Civil War · 1864 DD Decatur Dorsey Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 Nathaniel Mcclean Gwynne Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Sidney Haight Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 JH James Samuel Hill Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 ✦ FH Franklin Hogan Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 CH Conrad Homan Color Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 Charles H. Knight Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864

See all 22 recipients for July 30, 1864 →

More Civil War recipients from New Hampshire

CC Carlton N. Camp Private · Army Civil War · 1865 WA William H. Appleton First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 Richard Napoleon Batchelder Lieutenant Colonel and Chief Quartermaster · Army Civil War · 1863 CM Charles Melville Ordinary Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 WW William H. Wilcox Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 Osgood Towns Hadley Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.