Seaman Henry Thielberg, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on April 14, 1863 at Nansemond River, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Mount Washington (temporarily assigned U.S.S. Minnesota. Thielberg was about 30 years old.
4 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Thielberg was born in 1833 in Germany — one of 130 recipients born in Germany. His Medal of Honor is credited to Dudley, Webster County, Massachusetts. Thielberg died on May 17, 1890 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of about 57. He is buried at Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.
Thielberg 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
Served temporarily on board the U.S.S. Mount Washington during the Nansemond River action, 14 April 1863. After assisting in hauling up and raising the flagstaff, Thielberg volunteered to go up on the pilothouse and observe the movements of the enemy and although three shells struck within a few inches of his head, remained at his post until ordered to descend.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →
Timeline
- 1833Born in Germany
- April 14, 1863Act of valor — Nansemond River, VirginiaAge about 30. U.S.S. Mount Washington (temporarily assigned U.S.S. Minnesota
- May 17, 1890Died in Boston, MassachusettsAge about 57.
- Resting placeForest Hills CemeteryJamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Biography
Henry Thielberg (c. 1833–?) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Suffolk. Born in about 1833 in Germany, Thielberg gave Dudley, Massachusetts, as his home of record when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a seaman on USS Minnesota. At the Battle of Suffolk on April 14, 1863, he was temporarily assigned to USS Mount Washington as it conducted operations on the Nansemond River in Virginia. Thielberg voluntarily exposed himself to heavy fire in order to surveil the Confederate forces.
From the Wikipedia article “Henry Thielberg”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
