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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Charles H. Kloth

Private Charles H. Kloth, 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

Private Charles H. Kloth, 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 Chicago Mercantile Battery, Illinois Light Artillery.

99 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on January 15, 1895, 31 years after the action.

Kloth was born in Europe. His Medal of Honor is credited to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

Kloth 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

Carried with others by hand a cannon up to and fired it through an embrasure of the enemy's works.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Europe — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →

Timeline

  1. Date unknown
    Born in Europe
  2. May 22, 1863
    Act of valor — Vicksburg, Mississippi
    Chicago Mercantile Battery, Illinois Light Artillery
  3. January 15, 1895
    Medal of Honor presented

Biography

Charles H. Kloth was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Outside of his military service, Kloth's life is obscure, but it is known that he was born in Europe, and entered service in Chicago, Illinois. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown in Henrico County, Virginia, for bravery in action during the Battle of Vicksburg, while serving as a Private with the Chicago Mercantile Battery in the Illinois Light Artillery on May 22, 1863. His Medal of Honor was issued on July 20, 1897. It is not known when Kloth died, or where he was buried.

From the Wikipedia article “Charles H. Kloth”, 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

JW John W. Whitmore Private · Army Civil War · 1865 RG Richard J. Gage Private · Army Civil War · 1863 Douglas Hapeman Lieutenant Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 EP Edward M. Pike First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 John Charles Black Lieutenant Colonel · Army Civil War · 1862 LH Lemuel F. Holland Corporal · 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.