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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

John F. Chase

Private John F. Chase, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 3, 1863 in Chancellorsville, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 3, 1863

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private John F. Chase received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 3, 1863 in Chancellorsville, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with 5th Battery, Maine Light Artillery. Chase was 20 years old.

29 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on February 7, 1888, 24 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Captain.

Chase was born on April 23, 1843 in Chelsea, Kennebec County, Maine. His Medal of Honor is credited to Augusta, Kennebec County, Maine. Chase died on November 28, 1914 in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the age of 71. He is buried at St. Bartholomew Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Florida. His medal is held by Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park (1904 design), Fredericksburg, VA.

Chase is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 66 credited to Maine.

★ Wounded but Fought On

Official Medal of Honor citation

Nearly all the officers and men of the battery having been killed or wounded, this soldier with a comrade continued to fire his gun after the guns had ceased. The piece was then dragged off by the two, the horses having been shot, and its capture by the enemy was prevented.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Chelsea — map
  • Buried: Saint Bartholomew Episcopal Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Maine →

Timeline

  1. April 23, 1843
    Born in Chelsea, Kennebec County, Maine
  2. May 3, 1863
    Act of valor — Chancellorsville, Virginia
    Age 20. 5th Battery, Maine Light Artillery
  3. February 7, 1888
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. November 28, 1914
    Died in St. Petersburg, Florida
    Age 71.
  5. Resting place
    St. Bartholomew Cemetery
    St. Petersburg, Florida

Biography

John F. Chase (1843–1914) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. An artilleryman, Chase earned the medal by continuing to work his cannon despite intense Confederate fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville. He later participated in the Battle of Gettysburg and was severely wounded, losing his right arm, by a Confederate artillery shell. After the war, Chase worked as an inventor before moving to the St. Petersburg, Florida, area.

From the Wikipedia article “John F. Chase”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on May 3, 1863

FB Frederick A. Ballen Private · Army Civil War · 1863 Thomas Wilson Bradley Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 EB Edward Brown Jr. Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 JB John Knight Bucklyn First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 Andrew Davidson Assistant Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1863 JF Jacob G. Frick Colonel · Army Civil War · 1863 John Curtis Gilmore Major · Army Civil War · 1863 WG William Ernest Goodman First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 Lewis Addison Grant Colonel · Army Civil War · 1863 John Hack Private · Army Civil War · 1863 Francis Bloodgood Hall Chaplain · Army Civil War · 1863 Ephraim W. Harrington Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863

See all 30 recipients for May 3, 1863 →

Same unit

EW Edward Newton Whittier First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from Maine

TB Thomas Belcher Private · Army Civil War · 1864 OR Otis O. Roberts Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 HW Henry W. Wheeler Private · Army Civil War · 1861 Henry Clay Wood First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1861 Thomas Worcester Hyde Major · Army Civil War · 1862 JM James McLeod Captain of the Foretop · Navy Civil War · 1862
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.