Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private James T. Jennings received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 20, 1864 in Weldon Railroad, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company K, 56th Pennsylvania Infantry. Jennings was about 46 years old.
The medal was presented on December 1, 1864. He later rose to the rank of Corporal.
Jennings was born in April 1818 in England — one of 98 recipients born in England. His Medal of Honor is credited to Luzerne, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Jennings died on March 22, 1865 in Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of about 47. He is buried at Louden Park National Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jennings 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
Capture of flag of 55th North Carolina Infantry (C.S.A.).
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →
From the archives
James T. Jennings was a 5 foot, 8 inch tall, 43-year-old farmer when he enlisted in 1861. He had blue eyes and sandy hair. According to the 1860 US Federal Census, he had a wife and at least two children under the age of 3 at the time of his enlistment.
He died at a military hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, from a form of sepsis, just a few weeks before the end of the Civil War. The sepsis set in after his left leg was partially amputated, a result of a gunshot wound in his left ankle received on February 6, 1865, at the Battle of Hatchers Run, Virginia. At the time of his death, he had $6 in cash, a flannel shirt, a cap, an outer coat, and a pair of socks. The items were returned to his widow, Ann. She later successfullly applied for a pension based on his military service.
Timeline
- April 1818Born in England
- August 20, 1864Act of valor — Weldon Railroad, VirginiaAge about 46. Company K, 56th Pennsylvania Infantry
- December 1, 1864Medal of Honor presented
- March 22, 1865Died in Baltimore, MarylandAge about 47.
- Resting placeLouden Park National CemeteryBaltimore, Maryland
Biography
James T. Jennings (April 1818 – March 22, 1865) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Jennings was born in Devonshire, England in 1818 and entered service at Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown at Weldon Railroad, Virginia on August 20, 1864, during the Battle of Globe Tavern, while serving as a Private with Company K, 56th Pennsylvania Infantry. His Medal of Honor was issued on 1 December 1864. Jennings died at the age of 46, on March 22, 1865, and was buried at Loudon Park National Cemetery in Baltimore.
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