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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

James Welsh

Private James Welsh, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on July 30, 1864 in Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War July 30, 1864Born in Ireland

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private James Welsh received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 30, 1864 in Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company E, 4th Rhode Island Infantry. Welsh was 18 years old.

21 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on June 3, 1905, 40 years after the action.

Welsh was born on May 11, 1846 in Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Slatersville, Providence County, Rhode Island. Welsh died on December 17, 1916 in Elizabeth City, Virginia, at the age of 70. He is buried at St. Paul Cemetery in Blackstone, Massachusetts.

Welsh is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 31 credited to Rhode Island.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Bore off the regimental colors after the color sergeant had been wounded and the color corporal bearing the colors killed, thereby saving the colors from capture.

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

Places

  • Buried: St. Paul's Church Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Rhode Island →

Timeline

  1. May 11, 1846
    Born in Ireland
  2. July 30, 1864
    Act of valor — Petersburg, Virginia
    Age 18. Company E, 4th Rhode Island Infantry
  3. June 3, 1905
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. December 17, 1916
    Died in Elizabeth City, Virginia
    Age 70.
  5. Resting place
    St. Paul Cemetery
    Blackstone, Massachusetts

Biography

James Welsh (May 11, 1846 - December 17, 1916) was an Irish born soldier who fought in the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor. The medal was awarded on 3 June 1905 for actions as a private in the 4th Rhode Island Infantry at the Battle of the Crater, Petersburg, Virginia on 30 July 1864. He was born in Ireland and died in the former county of Elizabeth City, Virginia. He is buried in St. Paul Cemetery, Blackstone, Massachusetts.

From the Wikipedia article “James Welsh (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on July 30, 1864

Delavan Bates Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 Isaac Swartwood Catlin Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 AC Abraham Cohn Sergeant Major · Army Civil War · 1864 AD Andrew Davidson First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 CD Charles H. Depuy First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 RD Robert Fulton Dodd Private · Army Civil War · 1864 DD Decatur Dorsey Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 Nathaniel Mcclean Gwynne Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Sidney Haight Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 JH James Samuel Hill Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 ✦ FH Franklin Hogan Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 CH Conrad Homan Color Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864

See all 22 recipients for July 30, 1864 →

More Civil War recipients from Rhode Island

JB James H. Burbank Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 AM Archibald Molbone Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 TP Thomas Parker Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 JT Joseph Taylor Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Samuel E. Lewis Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 GB George Newman Bliss Captain · Army Civil War · 1864
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.