Veteran in crisis? Dial 988 then press 1 · Text 838255 Next observance: Navy Birthday · October 13
Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

George W. Reed

Private George W. Reed, 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 George W. Reed 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 E, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry. Reed was about 33 years old.

4 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on September 6, 1864.

Reed was born in 1831 in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. His Medal of Honor is credited to Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Reed died on December 21, 1906 in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of about 75. He is buried at Grand View Cemetery in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Reed is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.

★ Flags & Colors

Official Medal of Honor citation

Capture of flag of 24th North Carolina Volunteers (C.S.A.).

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Cambria County — map
  • Buried: Grandview Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →

Timeline

  1. 1831
    Born in Cambria County, Pennsylvania
  2. August 21, 1864
    Act of valor — Weldon Railroad, Virginia
    Age about 33. Company E, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry
  3. September 6, 1864
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. December 21, 1906
    Died in Chicago, Illinois
    Age about 75.
  5. Resting place
    Grand View Cemetery
    Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Biography

George W. Reed (c. 1831 – December 21, 1906) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Globe Tavern. Born in about 1831 in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Reed was living in the city of Johnstown when he enlisted in the Army. He served as a private in Company E of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry. During the Battle of Globe Tavern near Petersburg, Virginia, on August 21, 1864, he was captured in a thickly wooded area by a group of five Confederate soldiers, including a color bearer, from the 24th North Carolina Infantry.

From the Wikipedia article “George W. Reed”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

Also honored for actions on August 21, 1864

FA Frederick Charles Anderson Private · Army Civil War · 1864 HE Horace Ellis 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 Pennsylvania

JM John William Mostoller Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Joseph Kirby Corson Assistant Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1863 TR Thomas Robinson Private · Army Civil War · 1864 RO Robert Levan Orr Major · Army Civil War · 1865 Hillary Beyer Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 Alexander Kelly 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.