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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Sergeant · U.S. Army

Cornelius Minor Hadley

Sergeant Cornelius Minor Hadley, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on November 20, 1863 in Knoxville, Tennessee during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War November 20, 1863

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Sergeant Cornelius Minor Hadley received the Medal of Honor for his actions on November 20, 1863 in Knoxville, Tennessee during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company F, 9th Michigan Cavalry. Hadley was 25 years old.

3 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on April 5, 1898, 34 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of First Lieutenant.

Hadley was born on April 27, 1838 in Sandy Creek, Oswego County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Adrian, Lenawee County, Michigan. Hadley died on March 22, 1902, at the age of 63. He is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Litchfield, Michigan.

Hadley is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 112 credited to Michigan.

Official Medal of Honor citation

With one companion, voluntarily carried through the enemy's lines important dispatches from Gen. Grant to Gen. Burnside, then besieged within Knoxville, and brought back replies, his comrade's horse being killed and the man taken prisoner.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Sandy Creek — map
  • Buried: Litchfield — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Michigan →

Timeline

  1. April 27, 1838
    Born in Sandy Creek, Oswego County, New York
  2. November 20, 1863
    Act of valor — Knoxville, Tennessee
    Age 25. Company F, 9th Michigan Cavalry
  3. April 5, 1898
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. March 22, 1902
    Died
    Age 63.
  5. Resting place
    Mount Hope Cemetery
    Litchfield, Michigan

Biography

Cornelius Minor Hadley (April 27, 1838 – March 22, 1902) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Hadley was born in Sandy Creek, New York, on April 27, 1838, and entered service at Adrian, Michigan. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown on November 20, 1863, while serving as a Sergeant with Company F, 9th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, at the Siege of Knoxville, Tennessee. His Medal of Honor was issued on April 5, 1898. Hadley died at the age of 63, on March 22, 1902, and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Litchfield, Michigan.

From the Wikipedia article “Cornelius M. Hadley”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on November 20, 1863

JF John A. Falconer Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 Andrew John Kelley Private · Army Civil War · 1863 IS Irwin Shepard Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863

More Civil War recipients from Michigan

CS Charles Francis Sancrainte Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JM John William Menter Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 DM Daniel Robert McFall Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 FS Frederic William Swift Lieutenant Colonel · Army Civil War · 1863 GC George Washington Clute Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 CT Charles Augustus Thompson Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864
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.