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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Colonel · U.S. Army

Wheelock Graves Veazey

Colonel Wheelock Graves Veazey, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on July 3, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War July 3, 1863

Colonel Wheelock Graves Veazey, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on July 3, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with 16th Vermont Infantry. Veazey was 27 years old.

30 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on September 8, 1891, 28 years after the action.

Veazey was born on December 5, 1835 in Brentwood, Coos County, New Hampshire. His Medal of Honor is credited to Springfield, Windsor County, Vermont. Veazey died on March 22, 1898, at the age of 62. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His medal is held by Vermont Historical Society, Barre, VT.

Veazey is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 47 credited to Vermont.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Rapidly assembled his regiment and charged the enemy's flank; charged front under heavy fire, and charged and destroyed a Confederate brigade, all this with new troops in their first battle.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Life beyond the battlefield

Source: Wikidata.

Places

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

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Vermont →

Timeline

  1. December 5, 1835
    Born in Brentwood, Coos County, New Hampshire
  2. July 3, 1863
    Act of valor — Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
    Age 27. 16th Vermont Infantry
  3. September 8, 1891
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. March 22, 1898
    Died
    Age 62.
  5. Resting place
    Arlington National Cemetery
    Arlington, Virginia

Biography

Wheelock Graves Veazey (December 5, 1835 – March 22, 1898) was an American attorney, judge, and government official. Veazey served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and as a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission. During the American Civil War he received the United States military's highest decoration for bravery, the Medal of Honor.

From the Wikipedia article “Wheelock G. Veazey”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

Also honored for actions on July 3, 1863

EB Elijah William Bacon Private · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ George Greenville Benedict Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 MB Morris Brown Jr. Captain · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ HC Hugh Carey Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ JC John E. Clopp Private · Army Civil War · 1863 Alonzo H. Cushing First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ JD Joseph H. Decastro Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 GD George H. Dore Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 Benjamin Frank Falls Color Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 ✦ CF Christopher Flynn Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863 Frederick W. Fuger Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 William B. Hincks Sergeant Major · Army Civil War · 1863

See all 31 recipients for July 3, 1863 →

More Civil War recipients from Vermont

DW Daniel Davis Wheeler First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 WN William W. Noyes Private · Army Civil War · 1864 RC Robert John Coffey Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 CP Cassius Peck Private · Army Civil War · 1862 William Wirt Henry Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 JS James Sweeney Private · 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.