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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Corporal · U.S. Army

Benona Sprague

Corporal Benona Sprague, 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

Corporal Benona Sprague, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on May 22, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company F, 116th Illinois Infantry. Sprague was 30 years old.

99 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on July 10, 1894, 31 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Sergeant.

Sprague was born on February 15, 1833 in Satina, Onondaga County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Cheney Grove, McLean County, Illinois. Sprague died on June 19, 1908 in Cheney Grove, Illinois, at the age of 75. He is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Saybrook, Illinois.

Sprague 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.

Timeline

  1. February 15, 1833
    Born in Satina, Onondaga County, New York
  2. May 22, 1863
    Act of valor — Vicksburg, Mississippi
    Age 30. Company F, 116th Illinois Infantry
  3. July 10, 1894
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. June 19, 1908
    Died in Cheney Grove, Illinois
    Age 75.
  5. Resting place
    Riverside Cemetery
    Saybrook, Illinois

Biography

Benona Sprague (15 February 1833 – 19 June 1908) was a corporal in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the American Civil War. On May 22, 1863, during the Siege of Vicksburg, he led a volunteer storming party against Confederate fortifications. He was issued the Medal of Honor on 10 July 1894.

From the Wikipedia article “Benona Sprague”, 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

DN Daniel Noble Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1864 WM William Martin Boatswain's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1862 Orion P. Howe Musician · Army Civil War · 1863 WS William Thomas Simmons First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 Philip Sidney Post Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 GS George Stokes Private · 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.