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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

William T. Holmes

Private William T. Holmes, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on April 6, 1865 at Deatonsville (Sailor's Creek), Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War April 6, 1865

Private William T. Holmes, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on April 6, 1865 at Deatonsville (Sailor's Creek), Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company A, 3d Indiana Cavalry. Holmes was 18 years old.

59 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on May 3, 1865.

Holmes was born on June 7, 1846 in Vermilion County, Illinois. His Medal of Honor is credited to Indanapolis, Marion County, Indiana. Holmes died on August 31, 1916 in Osage Township, Missouri, at the age of 70. He is buried at Old Bean Cemetery in Appleton, Missouri.

Holmes is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 75 credited to Indiana.

★ Flags & Colors

Official Medal of Honor citation

Capture of flag of 27th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.).

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Vermilion County — map
  • Buried: Missouri — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Indiana →

Timeline

  1. June 7, 1846
    Born in Vermilion County, Illinois
  2. April 6, 1865
    Act of valor — Deatonsville (Sailor's Creek), Virginia
    Age 18. Company A, 3d Indiana Cavalry
  3. May 3, 1865
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. August 31, 1916
    Died in Osage Township, Missouri
    Age 70.
  5. Resting place
    Old Bean Cemetery
    Appleton, Missouri

Biography

William T. Holmes (June 7, 1846 – August 31, 1916) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Holmes was born in Vermilion County, Illinois on June 7, 1846, and entered service at Indianapolis, Indiana. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown on April 6, 1865, at the Battle of Sailor's Creek, while serving as a Private with Company A, 3rd Regiment Indiana Cavalry. He won his medal for capturing the flag of the 27th Virginia Infantry Regiment. His Medal of Honor was issued on May 3, 1865.

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

Also honored for actions on April 6, 1865

JB John Francis Benjamin Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 OB Orrin Bennett Private · Army Civil War · 1865 HB Hugh Patterson Boon Captain · Army Civil War · 1865 Lewis Francis Brest Private · Army Civil War · 1865 AB Andrew Bringle Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 IC Ivers S. Calkin First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 JC John Chapman Private · Army Civil War · 1865 AC Albert Adams Clapp First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 TC Trustrim Connell Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 FC Francis Marion Cunningham First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 Thomas Ward Custer Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 TD Thomas Davis Private · Army Civil War · 1865

See all 60 recipients for April 6, 1865 →

More Civil War recipients from Indiana

WT William P. Thompson Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 ✦ JK Jeremiah Kuder Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 LB Louis J. Bruner Private · Army Civil War · 1863 TB Thomas A. Blasdel Private · Army Civil War · 1863 CA Clinton Lycurgus Armstrong Private · Army Civil War · 1863 Allan Houston Dougall First Lieutenant & Adjutant · 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.