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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Sergeant Major · U.S. Army

Charles H. Pinkham

Sergeant Major Charles H. Pinkham, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on March 25, 1865 at Fort Stedman, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War March 25, 1865

Sergeant Major Charles H. Pinkham, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on March 25, 1865 at Fort Stedman, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with 57th Massachusetts Infantry. Pinkham was 20 years old.

11 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on April 15, 1895, 30 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Captain.

Pinkham was born on August 18, 1844 in Grafton, Worcester County, Massachusetts. His Medal of Honor is credited to Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts. Pinkham died on November 6, 1920, at the age of 76. He is buried at Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Pinkham is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.

★ Flags & Colors

Official Medal of Honor citation

Captured the flag of the 57th North Carolina Infantry (C.S.A.), and saved his own colors by tearing them from the staff while the enemy was in the camp.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Massachusetts — map
  • Buried: Hope Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →

Timeline

  1. August 18, 1844
    Born in Grafton, Worcester County, Massachusetts
  2. March 25, 1865
    Act of valor — Fort Stedman, Virginia
    Age 20. 57th Massachusetts Infantry
  3. April 15, 1895
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. November 6, 1920
    Died
    Age 76.
  5. Resting place
    Hope Cemetery
    Worcester, Massachusetts

Biography

Charles H. Pinkham (18 August 1844 – 6 November 1920) was born in Grafton, Massachusetts in 1844. In 1895, President Grover Cleveland presented him with the Medal of Honor for his service in the American Civil War. He is buried in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts. Pinkham joined the army from Worcester, Massachusetts in December 1863, and was mustered out as a brevet captain in July 1865.

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

Further reading

Also honored for actions on March 25, 1865

JC Joseph Franklin Carter Captain · Army Civil War · 1865 Joseph B. Chambers Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JD John Milton Deane Major · Army Civil War · 1865 LG Levi B. Gaylord Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 CH Charles H. Houghton Captain · Army Civil War · 1865 WH William H. Howe Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 GL George H. Littlefield Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 GM George E. McDonald Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JM James T. Murphy Private · Army Civil War · 1865 CO Charles Oliver Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 GT George W. Thompkins Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865

More Civil War recipients from Massachusetts

JS John Smith Captain of the Forecastle · Navy Civil War · 1864 PB Philip Baybutt Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Joseph S. Manning Private · Army Civil War · 1863 TC Thomas Cosgrove Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JF John B. Frisbee Gunner's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1862 George Henry Maynard Private · 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.