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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

John Corcoran

Private John Corcoran, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on April 2, 1865 in Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War April 2, 1865

Private John Corcoran was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 2, 1865 in Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company G, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. Corcoran was 22 years old.

65 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on November 2, 1887, 22 years after the action.

Corcoran was born on June 24, 1842 in Pawtucket, Providence County, Rhode Island. Corcoran died on June 19, 1919, at the age of 76. He is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Corcoran 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

Was one of a detachment of 20 picked artillerymen who voluntarily accompanied an infantry assaulting party, and who turned upon the enemy the guns captured in the assault.

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

Battles and campaigns

1865 · Civil War

Third Battle of Petersburg

Result: Union victory: End of the Siege of Petersburg and opening of the Appomattox Campaign

21 Medal of Honor recipients

Places

  • Born: Pawtucket — map
  • Buried: Pawtucket — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Rhode Island →

Timeline

  1. June 24, 1842
    Born in Pawtucket, Providence County, Rhode Island
  2. April 2, 1865
    Act of valor — Petersburg, Virginia
    Age 22. Company G, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery
  3. November 2, 1887
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. June 19, 1919
    Died
    Age 76.
  5. Resting place
    Oak Grove Cemetery
    Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Biography

John Corcoran (June 24, 1842 - December 2, 1915) was an American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for valor during the American Civil War.

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

Also honored for actions on April 2, 1865

AA Abner Peeler Allen Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 AA Andrew O. Apple Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 William J. Babcock Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 JB James Albert Barber Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 EB Eugene Beauharnais Beaumont Major and Assistant Adjutant General · Army Civil War · 1865 William Robert douglas Blackwood Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1865 JB John W. Boutwell Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JB John E. Buffington Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 CC Carlton N. Camp Private · Army Civil War · 1865 Stephen Potter Corliss First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 JC Josiah M. Curtis Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 Thomas Ward Custer Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865

See all 66 recipients for April 2, 1865 →

More Civil War recipients from Rhode Island

Zenas Randall Bliss Colonel · Army Civil War · 1862 WA William B. Avery Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 BC Benjamin Ham Child Corporal · Army Civil War · 1862 GR George E. Read Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 TH Thomas Hayes Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1864 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.