Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, First Lieutenant & Adjutant Eugene W. Ferris received the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 1, 1865 in Berryville, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with 30th Massachusetts Infantry. Ferris was 23 years old.
21 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on October 16, 1897, 32 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Captain.
Ferris was born on November 18, 1841 in Springfield, Windsor County, Vermont. His Medal of Honor is credited to Lowell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Ferris died on February 26, 1907 in Rockville, Indiana, at the age of 65. He is buried at Rockville Cemetery in Rockville, Indiana.
Ferris is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Accompanied only by an orderly, outside the lines of the Army, he gallantly resisted an attack of five of Mosby's cavalry, mortally wounded the leader of the party, seized his horse and pistols, wounded three more, and, though wounded himself, escaped.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and injuries
What the citation records about his wounds:
Accompanied only by an orderly, outside the lines of the Army, he gallantly resisted an attack of five of Mosby's cavalry, mortally wounded the leader of the party, seized his horse and pistols, wounded three more, and, though wounded himself, escaped.
- Age at death: 65
- Resting place: Rockville Cemetery
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →
Timeline
- November 18, 1841Born in Springfield, Windsor County, Vermont
- April 1, 1865Act of valor — Berryville, VirginiaAge 23. 30th Massachusetts Infantry
- October 16, 1897Medal of Honor presented
- February 26, 1907Died in Rockville, IndianaAge 65.
- Resting placeRockville CemeteryRockville, Indiana
Biography
Eugene W. Ferris (November 18, 1842 – February 26, 1907) was an American soldier who fought with the 30th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. He received the United States' highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for resisting an attack by enemy cavalrymen near Berryville, Virginia on April 1, 1865. That award was conferred 32 years later on October 16, 1897.
From the Wikipedia article “Eugene W. Ferris”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
