Sergeant Major Frederick William Gerber, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1865 - 1870 period. At the time he was serving with U.S. Engineers.
Gerber was born in 1813 in Dresden, Germany — one of 130 recipients born in Germany. His Medal of Honor is credited to Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. Gerber died on November 10, 1875 in New York, at the age of about 62. He is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Distinguished gallantry in many actions and in recognition of long, faithful, and meritorious service covering a period of 32 years.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
How he died
- Manner of death: natural causes
- Cause of death: asthma
- Age at death: about 62
- Resting place: Cypress Hills National Cemetery
Cause and manner of death: Wikidata.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Mexican-American War, American Civil War.
Life beyond the battlefield
- Occupations: military engineer
Source: Wikidata.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- 1813Born in Dresden, Germany
- November 10, 1875Died in New YorkAge about 62.
- Resting placeCypress Hills National CemeteryBrooklyn, New York
Biography
Frederick William Gerber (1813 – November 10, 1875) was a German-American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his 32 years of service in the US Army. He is one of only two people (the other being Major General Adolphus Greely) who received the Medal of Honor for his entire career rather than a single action. He was born in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony. Gerber immigrated to the United States in the 1830s and enlisted with the 4th US Infantry in February 1839, leaving the army a first time in February 1844. He joined the 1st Engineer Battalion when it was created in 1846 and served in the Mexican–American War.
From the Wikipedia article “Frederick W. Gerber”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
