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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Frederick Charles Anderson

Private Frederick Charles Anderson, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on August 21, 1864 in Weldon Railroad, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War August 21, 1864

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private Frederick Charles Anderson received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 21, 1864 in Weldon Railroad, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company A, 18th Massachusetts Infantry. Anderson was 22 years old.

4 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on December 3, 1894, 30 years after the action.

Anderson was born on March 24, 1842 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. His Medal of Honor is credited to Dedham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Anderson died on October 6, 1882 in Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 40. He is buried at Unitarian Church Cemetery in Dighton, Massachusetts. His medal is held by Town of Dighton, Massachusetts, Police Station, Dighton, MA.

Anderson 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

Capture of battle flag of 27th South Carolina (C.S.A.) and the color bearer.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Boston — map
  • Died: Providence — map
  • Buried: Unitarian Church Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →

Timeline

  1. March 24, 1842
    Born in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
  2. August 21, 1864
    Act of valor — Weldon Railroad, Virginia
    Age 22. Company A, 18th Massachusetts Infantry
  3. October 6, 1882
    Died in Providence, Rhode Island
    Age 40.
  4. December 3, 1894
    Medal of Honor presented
  5. Resting place
    Unitarian Church Cemetery
    Dighton, Massachusetts

Biography

Frederick Charles Anderson (March 24, 1842 – October 6, 1882) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and orphaned at a young age, Anderson was adopted by a farming family in rural Raynham. He enlisted in the Union Army shortly after the start of the war and, as a private in the 18th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, participated in several major battles, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing a Confederate battle flag during the Battle of Globe Tavern on August 21, 1864.

From the Wikipedia article “Frederick C. Anderson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

Also honored for actions on August 21, 1864

HE Horace Ellis Private · Army Civil War · 1864 GR George W. Reed Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JS John Shilling First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 RS Richard Smith Private · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from Massachusetts

PB Philip Bazaar Ordinary Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865 John Darling Terry Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 TH Thomas W. Hamilton Quartermaster · Navy Civil War · 1863 Charles Wellington Reed Bugler · Army Civil War · 1863 TF Thomas Fitzpatrick Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1864 Peter Grace 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.