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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

William H. Paul

Private William H. Paul, 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

Private William H. Paul was a soldier in the U.S. Army who 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 E, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Paul was 17 years old.

18 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on November 3, 1896, 34 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of First Sergeant.

Paul was born on October 3, 1844 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Paul died on February 23, 1911, at the age of 66. He is buried at Wesleyan Chapel Cemetery in Havre De Grace, Maryland.

Paul is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Under a most withering and concentrated fire, voluntarily picked up the colors of his regiment, when the bearer and two of the color guard had been killed, and bore them aloft throughout the entire battle.

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

Places

  • Born: Philadelphia — map
  • Buried: Wesleyan Chapel Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →

Timeline

  1. October 3, 1844
    Born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
  2. September 17, 1862
    Act of valor — Antietam, Maryland
    Age 17. Company E, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry
  3. November 3, 1896
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. February 23, 1911
    Died
    Age 66.
  5. Resting place
    Wesleyan Chapel Cemetery
    Havre De Grace, Maryland

Biography

William H. Paul (October 3, 1844 – February 23, 1911) was an American soldier who fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War as a member of Company E of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry and, later, the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry's E Company. He was awarded his nation's highest honor for valor in combat, the U.S. Medal of Honor, for saving and protecting the regimental flag of the 90th Pennsylvania Volunteers during the intense fighting of the Battle of Antietam in Maryland on September 17, 1862. That award was conferred on November 3, 1896.

From the Wikipedia article “William H. Paul”, 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 TG Theodore W. Greig Second Lieutenant · 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

See all 19 recipients for September 17, 1862 →

Same unit

JS John Shiel Corporal · Army Civil War · 1862

More Civil War recipients from Pennsylvania

LS Louis Jeanottelle Sacriste First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1863 GG George Norton Galloway Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Solomon J. Hottenstine Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JK John Kinsey Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 WL William Edman Leonard Private · Army Civil War · 1864 CL Cyrus B. Lower 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.