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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Colonel · U.S. Army

Matthew Stanley Quay

Colonel Matthew Stanley Quay, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on December 13, 1862 in Fredericksburg, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War December 13, 1862

Colonel Matthew Stanley Quay, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on December 13, 1862 in Fredericksburg, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with 134th Pennsylvania Infantry. Quay was 29 years old.

17 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on July 9, 1888, 25 years after the action.

Quay was born on September 30, 1833 in Dillsburg, York County, Pennsylvania. His Medal of Honor is credited to Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Quay died on May 28, 1904, at the age of 70. He is buried at Beaver Cemetery in Beaver, Pennsylvania.

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

Official Medal of Honor citation

Although out of service, he voluntarily resumed duty on the eve of the battle and took a conspicuous part in the charge on the heights.

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

Life beyond the battlefield

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Dillsburg — map
  • Died: Beaver — map
  • Buried: Beaver Cemetery and Mausoleum — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →

Timeline

  1. September 30, 1833
    Born in Dillsburg, York County, Pennsylvania
  2. December 13, 1862
    Act of valor — Fredericksburg, Virginia
    Age 29. 134th Pennsylvania Infantry
  3. July 9, 1888
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. May 28, 1904
    Died
    Age 70.
  5. Resting place
    Beaver Cemetery
    Beaver, Pennsylvania

Biography

Matthew Stanley Quay (; September 30, 1833 – May 28, 1904) was an American politician of the Republican Party who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1887 until 1899 and from 1901 until his death in 1904. Quay's control of the Pennsylvania Republican political machine for almost twenty years made him one of the most powerful and influential politicians in the country. As chair of the Republican National Committee and thus party campaign manager, he helped elect Benjamin Harrison as president in 1888. He was also instrumental in the 1900 election of Theodore Roosevelt as vice president.

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

Named in his honor

Also honored for actions on December 13, 1862

JA John Gregory bishop Adams Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 WB Wallace A. Beckwith Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Zenas Randall Bliss Colonel · Army Civil War · 1862 JC Jacob Cart Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Charles Henry tucky Collis Colonel · Army Civil War · 1862 CC Charles Dearborn Copp Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 TD Timothy Donoghue Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Francis Henry Goodall First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 William P. Hogarty Private · Army Civil War · 1862 John Johnson Private · Army Civil War · 1862 JK Joseph Keene Private · Army Civil War · 1862 George Henry Maynard Private · Army Civil War · 1862

See all 18 recipients for December 13, 1862 →

More Civil War recipients from Pennsylvania

GS George J. Shopp Private · Army Civil War · 1865 Gotlieb Luty Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 Sylvester Hopkins Martin Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 PD Patrick Delacey First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 Francis Morrison Private · Army Civil War · 1864 James Martinus Schoonmaker Colonel · 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.