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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Captain · U.S. Army

Nicholas Geschwind

Captain Nicholas Geschwind, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 22, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 22, 1863Born in France

Captain Nicholas Geschwind, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on May 22, 1863 in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company F, 116th Illinois Infantry. Geschwind was about 34 years old.

99 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on August 24, 1894, 31 years after the action.

Geschwind was born in 1829 in France — one of 18 recipients born in France. His Medal of Honor is credited to Pleasant Hill, Pike County, Illinois. Geschwind died on January 2, 1897 in Peoria, Illinois, at the age of about 68. He is buried at Springdale Cemetery in Peoria, Illinois.

Geschwind is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 210 credited to Illinois.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: France — map
  • Died: Peoria — map
  • Buried: Springdale Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →

Timeline

  1. 1829
    Born in France
  2. May 22, 1863
    Act of valor — Vicksburg, Mississippi
    Age about 34. Company F, 116th Illinois Infantry
  3. August 24, 1894
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. January 2, 1897
    Died in Peoria, Illinois
    Age about 68.
  5. Resting place
    Springdale Cemetery
    Peoria, Illinois

Biography

Nicholas Geschwind (c. 1829 – January 2, 1897) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863. Geschwind joined the 116th Illinois Infantry in October 1862 (at age 33), and mustered out with his regiment in June 1865.

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

Also honored for actions on May 22, 1863

CA Christian Albert Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WA William J. Archinal Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 CA Clinton Lycurgus Armstrong Private · Army Civil War · 1863 DA David Ayers Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 JA John G. k Ayers Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WB William H. Barringer Private · Army Civil War · 1863 MB Matthew Bickford Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 TB Thomas A. Blasdel Private · Army Civil War · 1863 EB Emmer Bowen Private · Army Civil War · 1863 UB Uriah H. Brown Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WB William P. Brownell Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1863 JB John C. Buckley Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863

See all 100 recipients for May 22, 1863 →

More Civil War recipients from Illinois

GH George L. Houghton Private · Army Civil War · 1863 JP James W. Parks Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 HD Henry Dow Boatswain's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1863 Leverett Mansfield Kelley Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 EW Elwood N. Williams Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Douglas Hapeman Lieutenant 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.