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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Sergeant · U.S. Army

David Ayers

Sergeant David Ayers, 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

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Sergeant David Ayers received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company A, 57th Ohio Infantry. Ayers was 22 years old.

99 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on April 13, 1894, 30 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Captain.

Ayers was born on April 29, 1841 in Kalida, Putnam County, Ohio. His Medal of Honor is credited to Upper Sandusky, Wyandot County, Ohio. Ayers died on December 11, 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 75. He is buried at Oakwoods Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. Records also list him as Ayres, David.

Ayers is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 256 credited to Ohio.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Kalida — map
  • Died: Chicago — map
  • Buried: Oak Woods Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Ohio →

Timeline

  1. April 29, 1841
    Born in Kalida, Putnam County, Ohio
  2. May 22, 1863
    Act of valor — Vicksburg, Mississippi
    Age 22. Company A, 57th Ohio Infantry
  3. April 13, 1894
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. December 11, 1916
    Died in Chicago, Illinois
    Age 75.
  5. Resting place
    Oakwoods Cemetery
    Chicago, Illinois

Biography

David Ayres (April 4, 1841 – December 11, 1916) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863. His last name was spelled as Ayers on his enlistment and maintains the spelling on his medal.

From the Wikipedia article “David Ayres (soldier)”, 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 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 HB Henry G. Buhrman Private · Army Civil War · 1863

See all 100 recipients for May 22, 1863 →

More Civil War recipients from Ohio

AC Albert Adams Clapp First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 JB James Bennett Bell Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 JY Jacob F. Yeager Private · Army Civil War · 1864 LM Lewis Morgan Private · Army Civil War · 1864 ✦ William J. Knight Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Powhatan Beaty First 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.