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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Sergeant · U.S. Army

James Henry

Sergeant James Henry, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 22, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 22, 1863

Sergeant James Henry, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on May 22, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company B, 113th Illinois Infantry. Henry was 30 years old.

99 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on July 9, 1894, 31 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of First Sergeant.

Henry was born on April 7, 1833 in Sunfish, Pike County, Ohio. His Medal of Honor is credited to Kankakee, Kankakee County, Illinois. Henry died on June 7, 1911 in Geneva, Illinois, at the age of 78. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Geneva, Illinois.

Henry is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 210 credited to Illinois.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Died: Illinois — map
  • Buried: Oak Hill Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →

Timeline

  1. April 7, 1833
    Born in Sunfish, Pike County, Ohio
  2. May 22, 1863
    Act of valor — Vicksburg, Mississippi
    Age 30. Company B, 113th Illinois Infantry
  3. July 9, 1894
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. June 7, 1911
    Died in Geneva, Illinois
    Age 78.
  5. Resting place
    Oak Hill Cemetery
    Geneva, Illinois

Biography

James Henry (1833–1911) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863. Henry joined the 113th Illinois Infantry in August 1862, and was mustered out in June 1865. He died in 1911, and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Geneva, Illinois.

From the Wikipedia article “James Henry (soldier)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on May 22, 1863

CA Christian Albert Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WA William J. Archinal Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 CA Clinton Lycurgus Armstrong Private · Army Civil War · 1863 DA David Ayers Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 JA John G. k Ayers Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WB William H. Barringer Private · Army Civil War · 1863 MB Matthew Bickford Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 TB Thomas A. Blasdel Private · Army Civil War · 1863 EB Emmer Bowen Private · Army Civil War · 1863 UB Uriah H. Brown Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WB William P. Brownell Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1863 JB John C. Buckley Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863

See all 100 recipients for May 22, 1863 →

More Civil War recipients from Illinois

RG Richard J. Gage Private · Army Civil War · 1863 John Shapland Private · Army Civil War · 1863 John H. Ferrell Pilot · Navy Civil War · 1864 WS William Thomas Simmons First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 HT Henry H. Taylor Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 HM Henry August Miller Captain · Army Civil War · 1865
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.