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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

John Reed Porter

Private John Reed Porter, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions in April 1862 in Georgia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War April 1862

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private John Reed Porter received the Medal of Honor for his actions in April 1862 in Georgia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company G, 21st Ohio Infantry. Porter was about 24 years old.

The medal was presented on September 1863. He later rose to the rank of First Lieutenant.

Porter was born on November 14, 1838 in Delaware County, Ohio. His Medal of Honor is credited to McComb, Hancock County, Ohio. Porter died on October 17, 1923 in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 84. He is buried at MaComb Union Cemetery in MaComb, Ohio.

Porter is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 256 credited to Ohio.

Official Medal of Honor citation

One of 19 of 24 men (including two civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchell, penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga. in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Delaware County — map
  • Died: Dayton — map
  • Buried: McComb Union Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Ohio →

Timeline

  1. November 14, 1838
    Born in Delaware County, Ohio
  2. April 1862
    Act of valor — Georgia
    Age about 24. Company G, 21st Ohio Infantry
  3. September 1863
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. October 17, 1923
    Died in Dayton, Ohio
    Age 84.
  5. Resting place
    MaComb Union Cemetery
    MaComb, Ohio

Biography

John Reed Porter (November 14, 1838 – October 15, 1923) was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, a military award presented by the United States Department of War to 18 Union Army soldiers who participated in the Great Locomotive Chase in 1862 during the American Civil War (1861–1865). He joined Union Army in 1861 and participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Stones River, Bentonville, and the campaigns of Chattanooga and Atlanta. At the end of the war he was a first lieutenant.

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

Further reading

Same unit

WB William Bensinger Private · Army Civil War · 1862

More Civil War recipients from Ohio

John Wilson Sprague Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 ✦ Cyrus Sears First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 William J. Carson Musician · Army Civil War · 1863 WB Wilson W. Brown Private · Army Civil War · 1862 David L. Cockley First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 Franklin Carr Corporal · 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.