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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Benjamin W. Schenck

Private Benjamin W. Schenck, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 22, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 22, 1863

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private Benjamin W. Schenck received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company D, 116th Illinois Infantry. Schenck was 25 years old.

99 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on August 14, 1894, 31 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Corporal.

Schenck was born on August 12, 1837 in Butler County, Ohio. His Medal of Honor is credited to Maroa, Macon County, Illinois. Schenck died on February 28, 1916 in Danville, Illinois, at the age of 78. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Decatur, Illinois.

Schenck is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 210 credited to Illinois.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Butler County — map
  • Buried: Greenwood Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →

Timeline

  1. August 12, 1837
    Born in Butler County, Ohio
  2. May 22, 1863
    Act of valor — Vicksburg, Mississippi
    Age 25. Company D, 116th Illinois Infantry
  3. August 14, 1894
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. February 28, 1916
    Died in Danville, Illinois
    Age 78.
  5. Resting place
    Greenwood Cemetery
    Decatur, Illinois

Biography

Benjamin W. Schenck (August 12, 1837 – February 19, 1916) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Schenck was born in Butler County, Ohio on August 12, 1837, and entered service at Maroa, Illinois. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism on May 22, 1863, while serving as a Private with Company D, 116th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His Medal of Honor was issued on August 14, 1894. He died at the age of 78, on February 19, 1916, and was buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Decatur, Illinois.

From the Wikipedia article “Benjamin W. Schenck”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on May 22, 1863

CA Christian Albert Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WA William J. Archinal Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 CA Clinton Lycurgus Armstrong Private · Army Civil War · 1863 DA David Ayers Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 JA John G. k Ayers Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WB William H. Barringer Private · Army Civil War · 1863 MB Matthew Bickford Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 TB Thomas A. Blasdel Private · Army Civil War · 1863 EB Emmer Bowen Private · Army Civil War · 1863 UB Uriah H. Brown Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WB William P. Brownell Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1863 JB John C. Buckley Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863

See all 100 recipients for May 22, 1863 →

More Civil War recipients from Illinois

HT Henry H. Taylor Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 WM Wilbur F. Moore Private · Army Civil War · 1864 PH Patrick Highland Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 TP Thomas H. l Payne First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 WM William Martin Boatswain's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1862 SM Samuel McConnell Captain · Army Civil War · 1865
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.