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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Corporal · U.S. Army

John Kinsey

Corporal John Kinsey, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 18, 1864 in Spotsylvania, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 18, 1864

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Corporal John Kinsey received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 18, 1864 in Spotsylvania, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company B, 45th Pennsylvania Infantry. Kinsey was about 20 years old.

2 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on March 2, 1897, 32 years after the action.

Kinsey was born in 1844 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His Medal of Honor is credited to Maytown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Kinsey died on December 19, 1904 in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the age of about 60. He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. Records also list him as McKenzie, John.

Kinsey is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.

★ Flags & Colors

Official Medal of Honor citation

Seized the colors, the color bearer having been shot, and with great gallantry succeeded in saving them from capture.

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

Places

  • Born: Lancaster County — map
  • Died: Indianapolis — map
  • Buried: Crown Hill Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →

From the archives

This Medal of Honor Recipient gave his name as "John Kinsey" with a birthplace in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, when he enlisted in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry in January 1862. He later continued his military service under alias when he enlisted in Co. H, 5th US Infantry in 1866, but gave his birthplace as Balitmore, Maryland. There is no record for why he used this alias when his true name was John McKenzie with a birthplace in Baltimore, Maryland.

His official military record continues to reflect the biographical information he gave at the time of his first enlistment.

Timeline

  1. 1844
    Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
  2. May 18, 1864
    Act of valor — Spotsylvania, Virginia
    Age about 20. Company B, 45th Pennsylvania Infantry
  3. March 2, 1897
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. December 19, 1904
    Died in Indianapolis, Indiana
    Age about 60.
  5. Resting place
    Crown Hill Cemetery
    Indianapolis, Indiana

Biography

John Kinsey (c. 1842 – December 19, 1904), also known as John McKenzie, was an American soldier and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.

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

Also honored for actions on May 18, 1864

RB Richard Beddows Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JE James Edgar Engle Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from Pennsylvania

James Levi Roush Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 WG William Ernest Goodman First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 CB Charles Blucher Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 EM Edward S. Martin Quartermaster · Navy Civil War · 1864 MS Michael A. Sowers Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Horace Porter Captain · Army Civil War · 1863
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.