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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Captain · U.S. Army

Charles Gilbert Gould

Captain Charles Gilbert Gould, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on April 2, 1865 in Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War April 2, 1865

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Captain Charles Gilbert Gould received the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 2, 1865 in Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company H, 5th Vermont Infantry. Gould was 19 years old.

65 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on July 30, 1890, 25 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Major.

Gould was born on May 5, 1845 in Windham County, Vermont. Gould died on December 5, 1916 in Cavendish, Vermont, at the age of 71. He is buried at Windham Central Cemetery in Windham, Vermont.

Gould is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 47 credited to Vermont.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Among the first to mount the enemy's works in the assault, he received a serious bayonet wound in the face, was struck several times with clubbed muskets, but bravely stood his ground, and with his sword killed the man who had bayoneted him.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Windham County — map
  • Buried: Windham — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Vermont →

Timeline

  1. May 5, 1845
    Born in Windham County, Vermont
  2. April 2, 1865
    Act of valor — Petersburg, Virginia
    Age 19. Company H, 5th Vermont Infantry
  3. July 30, 1890
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. December 5, 1916
    Died in Cavendish, Vermont
    Age 71.
  5. Resting place
    Windham Central Cemetery
    Windham, Vermont

Biography

Charles Gilbert Gould (May 5, 1845 – December 5, 1916) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Gould was born in Windham County, Vermont, on May 5, 1845. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown on April 2, 1865, while serving as a captain with Company H, 5th Vermont Infantry, at Petersburg, Virginia. His Medal of Honor was issued on July 30, 1890. He was breveted to the rank of major and, after the war, became a companion of the Vermont Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

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

Further reading

Also honored for actions on April 2, 1865

AA Abner Peeler Allen Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 AA Andrew O. Apple Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 William J. Babcock Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 JB James Albert Barber Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 EB Eugene Beauharnais Beaumont Major and Assistant Adjutant General · Army Civil War · 1865 William Robert douglas Blackwood Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1865 JB John W. Boutwell Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JB John E. Buffington Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 CC Carlton N. Camp Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JC John Corcoran Private · Army Civil War · 1865 Stephen Potter Corliss First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 JC Josiah M. Curtis Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865

See all 66 recipients for April 2, 1865 →

More Civil War recipients from Vermont

John Lonergan Captain · Army Civil War · 1863 EH Edward A. Holton First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 HD Henry W. Downs Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 RC Robert John Coffey Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 Ephraim W. Harrington Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 William Young warren Ripley Lieutenant Colonel · Army Civil War · 1862
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.