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Brigadier General · U.S. Army

Rufus Saxton Jr.

Brigadier General Rufus Saxton Jr., Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions between May 26 and 30, 1862 in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 26 - 30, 1862

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Brigadier General Rufus Saxton Jr. received the Medal of Honor for his actions between May 26 and 30, 1862 in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S. Volunteers. Saxton was 37 years old.

The medal was presented on April 25, 1893, 30 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Major General.

Saxton was born on October 19, 1824 in Greenfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts. His Medal of Honor is credited to Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts. Saxton died on February 23, 1908 in Washington, District of Columbia, at the age of 83. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Saxton is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Distinguished gallantry and good conduct in the defense.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Life beyond the battlefield

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Greenfield — map
  • Died: Washington, D.C. — map
  • Buried: Arlington National Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →

Timeline

  1. October 19, 1824
    Born in Greenfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts
  2. May 26 - 30, 1862
    Act of valor — Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
    Age 37. U.S. Volunteers
  3. April 25, 1893
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. February 23, 1908
    Died in Washington, District of Columbia
    Age 83.
  5. Resting place
    Arlington National Cemetery
    Arlington, Virginia

Biography

Rufus Saxton (October 19, 1824 – February 23, 1908) was a Union Army brigadier general during the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions defending Harpers Ferry during Confederate General Jackson's Valley Campaign. He was appointed military governor of the Department of the South in May 1862 and was involved with the Port Royal Experiment. After the war, Saxton was a strong advocate for the enfranchisement of African Americans and served as the Freedmen's Bureau's first assistant commissioner. He was removed from his position in the government agency by President Andrew Johnson. Saxton died in Washington, D.C. in 1908.

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

Same unit

Absalom Baird Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1864 Daniel Adams Butterfield Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1862 Newton Martin Curtis Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1865 Lewellyn Garrish Estes Captain & Assistant Adjutant General · Army Civil War · 1864 Manning Ferguson Force Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1864 GG George Edward Gouraud Captain & Aide-de-Camp · Army Civil War · 1864 Gabriel Grant Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1862 Oliver Otis Howard Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1862

More Civil War recipients from Massachusetts

WO William Henry Osborne Private · Army Civil War · 1862 GP George Province Ordinary Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865 JH John Hayes Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1864 Leopold Karpeles Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 JS James N. Strong Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 Nelson Appleton Miles Colonel · 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.