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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Oliver P. Rood

Private Oliver P. Rood, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on July 3, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War July 3, 1863

Private Oliver P. Rood, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on July 3, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company B, 20th Indiana Infantry. Rood was about 19 years old.

30 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on December 1, 1864.

Rood was born in 1844 in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. His Medal of Honor is credited to Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana. Rood died on June 11, 1885 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of about 41. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rood is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 75 credited to Indiana.

★ Flags & Colors

Official Medal of Honor citation

Capture of flag of 21st North Carolina Infantry (C.S.A.).

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Franklin County — map
  • Died: Nashville — map
  • Buried: Mount Olivet Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Indiana →

Timeline

  1. 1844
    Born in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky
  2. July 3, 1863
    Act of valor — Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
    Age about 19. Company B, 20th Indiana Infantry
  3. December 1, 1864
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. June 11, 1885
    Died in Nashville, Tennessee
    Age about 41.
  5. Resting place
    Mount Olivet Cemetery
    Nashville, Tennessee

Biography

Oliver Percy. Rood (c. 1844 – June 1, 1885) was an American soldier who fought with the Union Army in the American Civil War. Rood received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for actions taken on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg.

From the Wikipedia article “Oliver P. Rood”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on July 3, 1863

EB Elijah William Bacon Private · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ George Greenville Benedict Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 MB Morris Brown Jr. Captain · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ HC Hugh Carey Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ JC John E. Clopp Private · Army Civil War · 1863 Alonzo H. Cushing First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ JD Joseph H. Decastro Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 GD George H. Dore Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 Benjamin Frank Falls Color Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ CF Christopher Flynn Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 Frederick W. Fuger Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 William B. Hincks Sergeant Major · Army Civil War · 1863

See all 31 recipients for July 3, 1863 →

More Civil War recipients from Indiana

Frederick W. Fout Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 TB Thomas A. Blasdel Private · Army Civil War · 1863 WT William P. Thompson Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 ✦ CB Charles W. Brouse Captain · Army Civil War · 1863 Allan Houston Dougall First Lieutenant & Adjutant · Army Civil War · 1865 Joseph Frantz Private · 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.