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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Sergeant · U.S. Army

Carlos W. Colby

Sergeant Carlos W. Colby, 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, Sergeant Carlos W. Colby 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 G, 97th Illinois Infantry. Colby was 26 years old.

99 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on January 31, 1896, 32 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of First Sergeant.

Colby was born on May 15, 1837 in Merrimack, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. His Medal of Honor is credited to Madison County, Illinois. Colby died on May 19, 1922 in Hillsboro, Illinois, at the age of 85. He is buried at Cress Hill Cemetery in Hillsboro, Illinois.

Colby 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: Merrimack — map
  • Died: Illinois — map
  • Buried: Cress Hill Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →

Timeline

  1. May 15, 1837
    Born in Merrimack, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
  2. May 22, 1863
    Act of valor — Vicksburg, Mississippi
    Age 26. Company G, 97th Illinois Infantry
  3. January 31, 1896
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. May 19, 1922
    Died in Hillsboro, Illinois
    Age 85.
  5. Resting place
    Cress Hill Cemetery
    Hillsboro, Illinois

Biography

Carlos W. Colby (1837 – 1922) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War, serving in Company G of the 97th Illinois Volunteer Regiment. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863. Colby joined the Army in August 1862 and was mustered out in August 1865.

From the Wikipedia article “Carlos W. Colby”, 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

John S. Darrough Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 Wells Howard Blodgett First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 John Gregory Bourke Private · Army Civil War · 1862 MH Milton Lorenzi Haney Regimental Chaplain · Army Civil War · 1864 John Mcallister Schofield Major · Army Civil War · 1861 SJ Simeon T. Josselyn First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863
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.