Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Sergeant James Edgar Engle received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 18, 1864 in Bermuda Hundred, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company I, 97th Pennsylvania Infantry. Engle was about 20 years old.
2 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on December 17, 1896, 32 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Captain.
Engle was born in 1844 in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Engle died on November 19, 1897 in Washington, District of Columbia, at the age of about 53. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Engle is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Responded to a call for volunteers to carry ammunition to the regiment on the picket line and under a heavy fire from the enemy, assisted in carrying a box of ammunition to the front, and remained to distribute the same.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
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Timeline
- 1844Born in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- May 18, 1864Act of valor — Bermuda Hundred, VirginiaAge about 20. Company I, 97th Pennsylvania Infantry
- December 17, 1896Medal of Honor presented
- November 19, 1897Died in Washington, District of ColumbiaAge about 53.
- Resting placeArlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia
Biography
Sergeant James Edgar Engle (c. 1844 to November 19, 1897) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Engle received the United States' highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign in Virginia on May 18, 1864. He was honored with the award on December 17, 1896.
From the Wikipedia article “James Edgar Engle”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
