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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Joseph Alton Sladen

Private Joseph Alton Sladen, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 14, 1864 in Resaca, Georgia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 14, 1864Born in England

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private Joseph Alton Sladen received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 14, 1864 in Resaca, Georgia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company A, 33d Massachusetts Infantry. Sladen was 23 years old.

4 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on July 19, 1895, 31 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Major, U.S. Army, ret..

Sladen was born on April 9, 1841 in Rockdale, England — one of 98 recipients born in England. His Medal of Honor is credited to Lowell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Sladen died on January 25, 1911 in Portland, Oregon, at the age of 69. He is buried at U.S. Military Academy Cemetery in West Point, New York. His medal is held by Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, Chattanooga, TN.

Sladen is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.

Official Medal of Honor citation

While detailed as clerk at headquarters, voluntarily engaged in action at a critical moment and personal example inspired the troops to repel the enemy.

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

Life beyond the battlefield

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Rochdale — map
  • Died: Portland — map
  • Buried: West Point Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →

Timeline

  1. April 9, 1841
    Born in Rockdale, England
  2. May 14, 1864
    Act of valor — Resaca, Georgia
    Age 23. Company A, 33d Massachusetts Infantry
  3. July 19, 1895
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. January 25, 1911
    Died in Portland, Oregon
    Age 69.
  5. Resting place
    U.S. Military Academy Cemetery
    West Point, New York

Biography

Joseph A. Sladen was an officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, he received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the 1864 Battle of Resaca. He continued to serve after the Civil War, and took part in several campaigns of the American Indian Wars. After retiring for disability in 1889, he settled in Portland, Oregon, where he served as clerk of the U.S. Circuit Court. Sladen died in Portland and was buried at West Point Cemetery.

From the Wikipedia article “Joseph A. Sladen”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on May 14, 1864

Thomas J. Box Captain · Army Civil War · 1864 MN Marcellus J. Newman Private · Army Civil War · 1864 George E. Ranney Assistant Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1864 GT George William Tyrrell Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from Massachusetts

Edmund Rice Major · Army Civil War · 1863 JJ John H. James Captain of the Top · Navy Civil War · 1864 George Henry Maynard Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Joseph S. Manning Private · Army Civil War · 1863 TC Thomas Cosgrove Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Benjamin H. Jellison Sergeant · 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.