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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Drummer · U.S. Army

William H. Horsfall

Drummer William H. Horsfall, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 21, 1862 in Corinth, Mississippi during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 21, 1862

Drummer William H. Horsfall was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 21, 1862 in Corinth, Mississippi during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company G, 1st Kentucky Infantry. Horsfall was 15 years old.

The medal was presented on August 17, 1895, 33 years after the action.

Horsfall was born on March 3, 1847 in Campbell County, Kentucky. His Medal of Honor is credited to Fort Cox, Charleston County, West Virginia. Horsfall died on October 22, 1922 in Newport, Kentucky, at the age of 75. He is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate, Kentucky.

Horsfall is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 45 credited to West Virginia.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Saved the life of a wounded officer lying between the lines.

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

Battles and campaigns

1862 · Civil War

Siege of Corinth

Result: Union victory

2 Medal of Honor recipients

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Newport — map
  • Died: Newport — map
  • Buried: Evergreen Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in West Virginia →

Timeline

  1. March 3, 1847
    Born in Campbell County, Kentucky
  2. May 21, 1862
    Act of valor — Corinth, Mississippi
    Age 15. Company G, 1st Kentucky Infantry
  3. August 17, 1895
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. October 22, 1922
    Died in Newport, Kentucky
    Age 75.
  5. Resting place
    Evergreen Cemetery
    Southgate, Kentucky

Biography

William H. Horsfall (March 3, 1847 – October 22, 1922) was one of the youngest men to receive the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War. He was born in 1847, in Newport, Kentucky. He enlisted as a drummer in Company G, 1st Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, on December 31, 1861, at age 14. Horsfall performed his act of heroism as a 15-year-old drummer in Co. G, 1st Kentucky Infantry. The medal was awarded for saving the life of a wounded officer during the Siege of Corinth on May 21, 1862. Horsfall was later commander of William Nelson Post GAR of Newport. He died on October 22, 1922, in Newport and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Southgate, Kentucky.

From the Wikipedia article “William H. Horsfall”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

More Civil War recipients from West Virginia

Charles A. Reeder Private · Army Civil War · 1865 SM Samuel O. McElhinny Private · Army Civil War · 1865 DW Daniel A. Woods Private · Army Civil War · 1865 HW Henry Cary Weir Captain & Assistant Adjutant General · Army Civil War · 1864 JS James Calvin Summers Private · Army Civil War · 1863 JC Josiah M. Curtis Second Lieutenant · Army 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.