Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private Samuel Robertson was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions in April 1862 in Georgia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company G, 33d Ohio Infantry. Robertson was about 19 years old.
The medal was presented on September 1863.
Robertson was born in 1843 in Muskingum County, Ohio. His Medal of Honor is credited to Boarneville, Ross County, Ohio. Robertson died on June 18, 1862 in Executed Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of about 19. He is buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Robertson is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 256 credited to Ohio.
Official Medal of Honor citation
One of 19 of 24 men (including two civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchell, penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Places
- Buried: Chattanooga National Cemetery — map
Timeline
- 1843Born in Muskingum County, Ohio
- April 1862Act of valor — GeorgiaAge about 19. Company G, 33d Ohio Infantry
- June 18, 1862Died in Executed Atlanta, GeorgiaAge about 19.
- September 1863Medal of Honor presented posthumously
- Resting placeChattanooga National CemeteryChattanooga, Tennessee
Biography
Samuel Robertson (May 1, 1843 – June 18, 1862) was a private in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the American Civil War. Robertson was the first American soldier posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor; he was awarded the medal in September 1863 for actions performed behind Confederate lines near Big Shanty, Georgia, in April 1862.
From the Wikipedia article “Samuel Robertson (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
Further reading
- The Great Locomotive Chase: The First Awarded Medals of Honorcmohs.org · 2022
