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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Second Lieutenant · U.S. Army

Walter Thorn

Second Lieutenant Walter Thorn, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on January 1, 1865 at Dutch Gap Canal, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War January 1, 1865

Second Lieutenant Walter Thorn, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on January 1, 1865 at Dutch Gap Canal, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company G, 116th U.S. Colored Infantry. Thorn was 20 years old.

The medal was presented on December 8, 1898, 33 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Captain.

Thorn was born on November 18, 1844 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Camp Nelson, Jessamine County, Kentucky. Thorn died on July 29, 1920 in Hampton, Virginia, at the age of 75. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His medal is held by American Numismatic Society (1863 & 1904 designs), New York, NY.

Thorn is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 44 credited to Kentucky.

Official Medal of Honor citation

After the fuse to the mined bulkhead had been lit, this officer, learning that the picket guard had not been withdrawn, mounted the bulkhead and at great personal peril warned the guard of its danger.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Brooklyn — map
  • Died: Hampton — map
  • Buried: Arlington National Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Kentucky →

Timeline

  1. November 18, 1844
    Born in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
  2. January 1, 1865
    Act of valor — Dutch Gap Canal, Virginia
    Age 20. Company G, 116th U.S. Colored Infantry
  3. December 8, 1898
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. July 29, 1920
    Died in Hampton, Virginia
    Age 75.
  5. Resting place
    Arlington National Cemetery
    Arlington, Virginia

Biography

Walter Thorn (November 18, 1844 – July 20, 1920) was a Union Army officer in the American Civil War. On December 8, 1898, he received the Medal of Honor for his action while serving as a Second Lieutenant in the 116th United States Colored Troops, a unit made up of white officers and African-American soldiers.

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

Further reading

More Civil War recipients from Kentucky

HM Henry B. Mattingly Private · Army Civil War · 1864 OH Oliver Hughes Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 John Francis Weston Major · Army Civil War · 1865 Jacob Swegheimer Private · Army Civil War · 1863 Mary Edwards Walker Contract Surgeon · Army Civil War · 1861
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.