Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private William R. Richardson received the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 6, 1865 at Deatonsville (Sailor's Creek), Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company A, 2d Ohio Cavalry. Richardson was about 23 years old.
59 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on April 7, 1866.
Richardson was born in 1842 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. His Medal of Honor is credited to Washington, Ohio. Richardson died on October 24, 1873, at the age of about 31. He is buried at City Cemetery in Massillon, Ohio.
Richardson is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 256 credited to Ohio.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Having been captured and taken to the rear, Richardson made his escape, rejoined the Union lines, and furnished information of great importance as to the enemy's position and the approaches thereto.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Places
- Buried: Massillon Cemetery — map
Timeline
- 1842Born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
- April 6, 1865Act of valor — Deatonsville (Sailor's Creek), VirginiaAge about 23. Company A, 2d Ohio Cavalry
- April 7, 1866Medal of Honor presented
- October 24, 1873DiedAge about 31.
- Resting placeCity CemeteryMassillon, Ohio
Biography
William R. Richardson (1842 – October 24, 1873) was an American soldier who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor for his valor.
From the Wikipedia article “William R. Richardson (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
