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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Second Lieutenant · U.S. Army

Charles B. Tanner

Second Lieutenant Charles B. Tanner, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on September 17, 1862 in Antietam, Maryland during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War September 17, 1862

Second Lieutenant Charles B. Tanner, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on September 17, 1862 in Antietam, Maryland during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company H, 1st Delaware Infantry. Tanner was 19 years old.

18 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on December 13, 1889, 27 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of First Lieutenant.

Tanner was born on November 25, 1842 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. His Medal of Honor is credited to Wilmimgton, New Castle County, Delaware. Tanner died on December 16, 1911 in Floral Park, New York, at the age of 69. He is buried at Greenfield Cemetery in Hempstead, New York.

Tanner is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 13 credited to Delaware.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Carried off the regimental colors, which had fallen within 20 yards of the enemy's lines, the color guard of nine men having all been wounded or killed; was himself three times wounded.

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

Places

  • Born: Philadelphia — map
  • Died: Baltimore — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Delaware →

Timeline

  1. November 25, 1842
    Born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
  2. September 17, 1862
    Act of valor — Antietam, Maryland
    Age 19. Company H, 1st Delaware Infantry
  3. December 13, 1889
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. December 16, 1911
    Died in Floral Park, New York
    Age 69.
  5. Resting place
    Greenfield Cemetery
    Hempstead, New York

Biography

Charles B. Tanner (November 25, 1842 – December 16, 1911) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Tanner received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor. Tanner's medal was won for his heroism at the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland on September 17, 1862. He was honored with the award on December 13, 1899. Tanner died in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1911. He is buried in Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale, Nassau County.

From the Wikipedia article “Charles B. Tanner”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on September 17, 1862

Hillary Beyer Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 JC John Joice Carter Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 BC Benjamin Ham Child Corporal · Army Civil War · 1862 Charles Franklin Cleveland Private · Army Civil War · 1862 John Cook Bugler · Army Civil War · 1862 RC Richard J. Curran Assistant Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1862 Oliver Duff Greene Major & Assistant Adjutant General · Army Civil War · 1862 TG Theodore W. Greig Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 IG Ignatz Gresser Corporal · Army Civil War · 1862 MH Marcus M. Haskell Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 Thomas Worcester Hyde Major · Army Civil War · 1862 SJ Samuel Johnson Private · Army Civil War · 1862

See all 19 recipients for September 17, 1862 →

More Civil War recipients from Delaware

JM John B. Mayberry Private · Army Civil War · 1863 AH Allexander Hand Quartermaster · Navy Civil War · 1862 JS John Shilling First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 Henry Algernon du Pont Captain · Army Civil War · 1864 DB David Eastburn Buckingham First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 SS Samuel Rodmond Smith 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.