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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

First Lieutenant · U.S. Army

John Knight Bucklyn

First Lieutenant John Knight Bucklyn, 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, First Lieutenant John Knight Bucklyn 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 Battery E, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. Bucklyn was 29 years old.

29 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on July 13, 1899, 36 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Captain.

Bucklyn was born on March 15, 1834 in Foster Creek, Providence County, Rhode Island. His Medal of Honor is credited to Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island. Bucklyn died on May 15, 1906 in Mystic, Connecticut, at the age of 72. He is buried at Lower Mystic Cemetery in Mystic, Connecticut.

Bucklyn 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

Though himself wounded, Bucklyn gallantly fought his section of the battery under a fierce fire from the enemy until his ammunition was all expended, many of the cannoneers and most of the horses killed or wounded, and the enemy within 25 yards of the gun, when, disabling one piece, he brought off the other in safety.

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

Wounds and injuries

What the citation records about his wounds:

Though himself wounded, Bucklyn gallantly fought his section of the battery under a fierce fire from the enemy until his ammunition was all expended, many of the cannoneers and most of the horses killed or wounded, and the enemy within 25 yards of the gun, when, disabling one piece, he brought off the other in safety.
  • Age at death: 72
  • Resting place: Lower Mystic Cemetery

Battles and campaigns

1863 · Civil War

Battle of Chancellorsville

Result: Confederate victory

8 Medal of Honor recipients

Places

  • Born: Rhode Island — map
  • Died: Mystic — map
  • Buried: Lower Mystic Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Rhode Island →

Timeline

  1. March 15, 1834
    Born in Foster Creek, Providence County, Rhode Island
  2. May 3, 1863
    Act of valor — Chancellorsville, Virginia
    Age 29. Battery E, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery
  3. July 13, 1899
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. May 15, 1906
    Died in Mystic, Connecticut
    Age 72.
  5. Resting place
    Lower Mystic Cemetery
    Mystic, Connecticut

Biography

First Lieutenant John Knight Bucklyn (March 15, 1834 to May 15, 1906) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Bucklyn received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action during the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia on 3 May 1863. He was honored with the award on 13 July 1899.

From the Wikipedia article “John K. Bucklyn”, 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 John F. Chase Private · 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 →

More Civil War recipients from Rhode Island

JT Joseph Taylor Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JE John Edwards Captain of the Top · Navy Civil War · 1864 JB James H. Burbank Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 JB James Albert Barber Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 BC Benjamin Ham Child Corporal · Army Civil War · 1862 TP Thomas Parker Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865
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.