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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Joseph Olds Gregg

Private Joseph Olds Gregg, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on June 16, 1864 near the Richmond & Petersburg Railway, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War June 16, 1864

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private Joseph Olds Gregg received the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 16, 1864 near the Richmond & Petersburg Railway, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company F, 133d Ohio National Guard Infantry. Gregg was 23 years old.

The medal was presented on May 13, 1899, 34 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Captain.

Gregg was born on January 5, 1841 in Lithopolis, Fairfield County, Ohio. His Medal of Honor is credited to Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Gregg died on February 25, 1930 in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 89. He is buried at Lithopolis Cemetery in Lithopolis, Ohio. His medal is held by Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OH.

Gregg 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

Voluntarily returned to the breastworks, which his regiment had been forced to abandon, to notify three missing companies that the regiment was falling back; found the enemy already in the works, refused a demand to surrender, returning to his command under a concentrated fire, several bullets passing through his hat and clothing.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Lithopolis — map
  • Buried: Lithopolis — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Ohio →

Timeline

  1. January 5, 1841
    Born in Lithopolis, Fairfield County, Ohio
  2. June 16, 1864
    Act of valor — near the Richmond & Petersburg Railway, Virginia
    Age 23. Company F, 133d Ohio National Guard Infantry
  3. May 13, 1899
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. February 25, 1930
    Died in Columbus, Ohio
    Age 89.
  5. Resting place
    Lithopolis Cemetery
    Lithopolis, Ohio

Biography

Joseph Olds Gregg (January 5, 1841 - February 25, 1930) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Gregg was born in Lithopolis, Ohio on January 5, 1841. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown on June 16, 1864, while serving as a Private with Company F, 133rd Ohio Infantry, near the Richmond and Petersburg Ry., Virginia. His Medal of Honor was issued on May 13, 1899. Gregg died at the age of 89, on February 25, 1930, and was buried at Lithopolis Cemetery in Lithopolis, Ohio.

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

Further reading

More Civil War recipients from Ohio

WS William Schmidt Private · Army Civil War · 1863 JN Jasper N. North Private · Army Civil War · 1863 Milton Murray Holland Sergeant Major · Army Civil War · 1864 Richard Willis Dewitt Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 LR Louis Renninger Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 David L. Cockley First Lieutenant · 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.