Veteran in crisis? Dial 988 then press 1 · Text 838255 Next observance: Navy Birthday · October 13
Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Second Lieutenant · U.S. Army

Theodore W. Greig

Second Lieutenant Theodore W. Greig, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on September 17, 1862 in Antietam, Maryland during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War September 17, 1862

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Second Lieutenant Theodore W. Greig received the Medal of Honor for his actions on September 17, 1862 in Antietam, Maryland during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company C, 61st New York Infantry. Greig was 19 years old.

18 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on February 10, 1887, 24 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Major.

Greig was born on March 13, 1843 in New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Staten Island, Richmond County, New York. Greig died on November 17, 1893 in New York, New York, at the age of 50. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.

Greig is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.

Official Medal of Honor citation

A Confederate regiment, the 4th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.), having planted its battle flag slightly in advance of the regiment, this officer rushed forward and seized it, and, although shot through the neck, retained the flag and brought it within the Union lines.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: New York — map
  • Died: New York City — map
  • Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. March 13, 1843
    Born in New York
  2. September 17, 1862
    Act of valor — Antietam, Maryland
    Age 19. Company C, 61st New York Infantry
  3. February 10, 1887
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. November 17, 1893
    Died in New York, New York
    Age 50.
  5. Resting place
    Woodlawn Cemetery
    Bronx, New York

Biography

Theodore W. Greig (March 13, 1843 – November 17, 1893) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Greig was born in New York on March 13, 1843. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism shown at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, while serving as a Second Lieutenant with Company C, 61st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. His Medal of Honor was issued on February 10, 1887. Greig died at the age of 50 on November 17, 1893, and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.

From the Wikipedia article “Theodore W. Greig”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on September 17, 1862

Hillary Beyer Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 JC John Joice Carter Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 BC Benjamin Ham Child Corporal · Army Civil War · 1862 Charles Franklin Cleveland Private · Army Civil War · 1862 John Cook Bugler · Army Civil War · 1862 RC Richard J. Curran Assistant Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1862 Oliver Duff Greene Major & Assistant Adjutant General · Army Civil War · 1862 IG Ignatz Gresser Corporal · Army Civil War · 1862 MH Marcus M. Haskell Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 Thomas Worcester Hyde Major · Army Civil War · 1862 SJ Samuel Johnson Private · Army Civil War · 1862 AL Adolph Libaire Captain · Army Civil War · 1862

See all 19 recipients for September 17, 1862 →

Same unit

LN Lee Nutting Captain · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from New York

WP William Plimley First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 DS David Sprowle Orderly Sergeant · Marine Corps Civil War · 1864 JB John Brosnan Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 WH William W. Halstead Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1864 JS John Schiller Private · Army Civil War · 1864 GG George Edward Gouraud Captain & Aide-de-Camp · 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.