Brigadier General John Cleveland Robinson was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 8, 1864 at Laurel Hill, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S. Volunteers. Robinson was 47 years old.
6 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on March 28, 1894, 29 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Major General.
Robinson was born on April 10, 1817 in Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Binghamton, Broome County, New York. Robinson died on February 18, 1897 in Binghamton, New York, at the age of 79. He is buried at Spring Forest Cemetery in Binghamton, Massachusetts.
Robinson 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
Placed himself at the head of the leading brigade in a charge upon the enemy's breastworks; was severely wounded.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Mexican-American War, American Civil War.
Life beyond the battlefield
- Offices held: Lieutenant Governor of New York
- Occupations: politician, major general, lieutenant governor
- Education: United States Military Academy
Source: Wikidata.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- April 10, 1817Born in Ireland
- May 8, 1864Act of valor — Laurel Hill, VirginiaAge 47. U.S. Volunteers
- March 28, 1894Medal of Honor presented
- February 18, 1897Died in Binghamton, New YorkAge 79.
- Resting placeSpring Forest CemeteryBinghamton, Massachusetts
Biography
John Cleveland Robinson (April 10, 1817 – February 18, 1897) was an American soldier in the United States Army. Robinson had a long and distinguished military career, fighting in many wars and culminating his career as a brigadier general and brevet major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson made Robinson a brevet grade of major general in the regular army, which was approved by the U.S. Senate. He received the Medal of Honor for valor in action in 1864 near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, where he lost a leg. He retired from the U.S. Army on May 6, 1869, and was placed on the retired list as a full rank major general.
From the Wikipedia article “John C. Robinson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
