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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Nicholas Fanning

Private Nicholas Fanning, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on April 2, 1865 in Selma, Alabama during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War April 2, 1865

Private Nicholas Fanning, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on April 2, 1865 in Selma, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company B, 4th Iowa Cavalry. Fanning was about 25 years old.

65 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on June 17, 1865.

Fanning was born in 1840 in Carroll County, Indiana. His Medal of Honor is credited to Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa.

Fanning is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 55 credited to Iowa.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Capture of silk Confederate States flag and two staff officers.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: Battle of Selma.

Places

  • Born: Carroll County — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Iowa →

Timeline

  1. 1840
    Born in Carroll County, Indiana
  2. April 2, 1865
    Act of valor — Selma, Alabama
    Age about 25. Company B, 4th Iowa Cavalry
  3. June 17, 1865
    Medal of Honor presented

Biography

Private Nicholas Fanning was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Fanning received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action during the Battle of Selma in Alabama on 2 April 1865. He was honored with the award on 17 June 1865.

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

Also honored for actions on April 2, 1865

AA Abner Peeler Allen Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 AA Andrew O. Apple Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 William J. Babcock Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 JB James Albert Barber Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 EB Eugene Beauharnais Beaumont Major and Assistant Adjutant General · Army Civil War · 1865 William Robert douglas Blackwood Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1865 JB John W. Boutwell Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JB John E. Buffington Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 CC Carlton N. Camp Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JC John Corcoran Private · Army Civil War · 1865 Stephen Potter Corliss First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 JC Josiah M. Curtis Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865

See all 66 recipients for April 2, 1865 →

More Civil War recipients from Iowa

AP Albert Power Private · Army Civil War · 1862 James Kephart Private · Army Civil War · 1863 EB Edgar A. Bras Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 James Alexander Williamson Colonel · Army Civil War · 1862 James Dunlavy Private · Army Civil War · 1864 AS Andrew Jackson Sloan Private · 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.