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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

First Lieutenant · U.S. Army

Adelbert Ames

First Lieutenant Adelbert Ames, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on July 21, 1861 at Bull Run, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War July 21, 1861

First Lieutenant Adelbert Ames, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on July 21, 1861 at Bull Run, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with 5th U.S. Artillery. Ames was 25 years old.

9 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on June 22, 1894, 32 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Major General.

Ames was born on October 31, 1835 in Rockland, Knox County, Maine. Ames died on April 13, 1933 in Ormond, Florida, at the age of 97. He is buried at Hildreth Family Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Ames is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 66 credited to Maine.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Remained upon the field in command of a section of Griffin's Battery, directing its fire after being severely wounded and refusing to leave the field until too weak to sit upon the caisson where he had been placed by men of his command.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War, Spanish–American War.

Life beyond the battlefield

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Rockland — map
  • Died: Ormond Beach — map
  • Buried: Hildreth Family Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Maine →

Timeline

  1. October 31, 1835
    Born in Rockland, Knox County, Maine
  2. July 21, 1861
    Act of valor — Bull Run, Virginia
    Age 25. 5th U.S. Artillery
  3. June 22, 1894
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. April 13, 1933
    Died in Ormond, Florida
    Age 97.
  5. Resting place
    Hildreth Family Cemetery
    Lowell, Massachusetts

Biography

Adelbert Ames (October 31, 1835 – April 13, 1933) was an American sailor, soldier, businessman and politician who served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. A Radical Republican, he was a military governor, U.S. Senator, and civilian governor in Reconstruction-era Mississippi. In 1898, he served as a United States Army general during the Spanish–American War. He was the last Republican to serve as the state governor of Mississippi until the election of Kirk Fordice, who took office in January 1992, 116 years after Ames vacated the office.

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

Also honored for actions on July 21, 1861

WC Walter Howard Cooke Captain · Army Civil War · 1861 John Frederic Hartranft Colonel · Army Civil War · 1861 Abiather J. Knowles Private · Army Civil War · 1861 OM Owen McGough Corporal · Army Civil War · 1861 JM John G. Merritt Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1861 CM Charles Joseph Murphy First Lieutenant & Quartermaster · Army Civil War · 1861 HW Henry W. Wheeler Private · Army Civil War · 1861 Orlando Bolivar Willcox Colonel · Army Civil War · 1861 William Herbert Withington Captain · Army Civil War · 1861

Same unit

Henry Algernon du Pont Captain · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from Maine

ST Sidney Warren Thaxter Major · Army Civil War · 1864 OT Othniel Tripp Chief Boatswain's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1865 EB Edward R. Bowman Quartermaster · Navy Civil War · 1865 GL George H. Littlefield Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 Walter Goodale Morrill Captain · Army Civil War · 1863 SD Samuel W. Davis Ordinary Seaman · Navy 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.