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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Sergeant · U.S. Army

Thomas Plunkett

Sergeant Thomas Plunkett, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on December 11, 1862 in Fredericksburg, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War December 11, 1862Born in Ireland

Sergeant Thomas Plunkett, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on December 11, 1862 in Fredericksburg, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company E, 21st Massachusetts Infantry. Plunkett was about 21 years old.

The medal was presented on March 30, 1866, 3 years after the action.

Plunkett was born in 1841 in Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to West Boylston, Worcester County, Massachusetts. Plunkett died on March 10, 1885, at the age of about 44. He is buried at Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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

★ Flags & Colors

Official Medal of Honor citation

Seized the colors of his regiment, the color bearer having been shot down, and bore them to the front where both his arms were carried off by a shell.

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

Battles and campaigns

1862 · Civil War

Battle of Fredericksburg

Result: Confederate victory

5 Medal of Honor recipients

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: County Mayo — map
  • Died: Worcester — map
  • Buried: Hope Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →

Timeline

  1. 1841
    Born in Ireland
  2. December 11, 1862
    Act of valor — Fredericksburg, Virginia
    Age about 21. Company E, 21st Massachusetts Infantry
  3. March 30, 1866
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. March 10, 1885
    Died
    Age about 44.
  5. Resting place
    Hope Cemetery
    Worcester, Massachusetts

Biography

Thomas Plunkett (1841 - March 10, 1885) was a color bearer during the American Civil War. He carried the banner of the 21st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Fredericksburg when a cannon blast took away both of his arms and wounded him in the chest. He pressed the flag against his chest with what remained of his arms and continued until one of the color guards took the flag from him so he could retire. His arms were eventually amputated, and he would take another two years to recover. Plunkett received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

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

More Civil War recipients from Massachusetts

JA John Gregory bishop Adams Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 JS John Smith Captain of the Forecastle · Navy Civil War · 1864 JR John H. Robinson Private · Army Civil War · 1863 PS Patrick Scanlan Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Orlando Phidelio Boss Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 AW Augustus Williams Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865
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.