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Sergeant · U.S. Army

James Howard

Sergeant James Howard, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on April 2, 1865 near Petersburg (Battery Gregg), Virginia during the Civil War.

Sergeant James Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on April 2, 1865 near Petersburg (Battery Gregg), Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company K, 158th New York Infantry.

65 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on May 12, 1865.

Howard was born in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey. His Medal of Honor is credited to Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. Howard died on November 8, 1879 in Fort McKavett, Texas. He is buried at San Antonio National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. Records also list him as Brown, James.

Howard is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Carried the colors in advance of the line of battle, the flagstaff being shot off while he was planting it on the parapet of the fort.

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

Timeline

  1. Date unknown
    Born in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey
  2. April 2, 1865
    Act of valor — near Petersburg (Battery Gregg), Virginia
    Company K, 158th New York Infantry
  3. May 12, 1865
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. November 8, 1879
    Died in Fort McKavett, Texas
  5. Resting place
    San Antonio National Cemetery
    San Antonio, Texas

Biography

James Howard (November, 1842 - November 8, 1879) was an American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient.

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

Also honored for actions on April 2, 1865

See all 66 recipients for April 2, 1865 →

Same unit

More Civil War recipients from New York

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.