Andrew Jackson Smith (Medal of Honor recipient)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Andrew Jackson Smith
September 3, 1843(1843-09-03) – March 4, 1932 (aged 88)
Color Sergeant Andrew Smith
Place of death	Livingston County, Kentucky
Allegiance	Union
Service/branch	Union Army
Rank	Color Sergeant
Unit	55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Honey Hill
Awards	Medal of Honor

Andrew Jackson Smith (September 3, 1843 – March 4, 1932) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Honey Hill.

1 Biography
2 Medal of Honor citation
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References

[edit] Biography

By November 30, 1864, Smith was serving as a Corporal in the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. On that day, his unit participated in the Battle of Honey Hill in South Carolina, and it was for his actions during the battle that he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Smith was promoted to Color Sergeant before leaving the Army. After the war, he lived in Kentucky, where he bought and sold land. He died at age 88 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Grand Rivers, Kentucky.^[1]

Smith was nominated for the Medal of Honor in 1916, but the Army denied the nomination, citing a lack of official records documenting his case. Smith's commander at Honey Hill had not included an account of Smith's actions in the official battle report. It was not until January 16, 2001, 137 years after the Battle of Honey Hill, that Smith was recognized; President Bill Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to several of Smith's descendants during a ceremony at the White House on that day. Former President Theodore Roosevelt was also posthumously awarded the medal at the same ceremony, for his actions during the Spanish-American War.

[edit] Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization:

Corporal, 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Place and Date: At Honey Hill, SC., 30 November 1864. Entered Service At: Clinton, Ill. Born: _______ Date Of Issue: 16 January 2000

Citation:

Corporal Andrew Jackson Smith, of Clinton, Illinois, a member of the 55th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry, distinguished himself on 30 November 1864 by saving his regimental colors, after the color bearer was killed during a bloody charge called the Battle of Honey Hill, South Carolina. In the late afternoon, as the 55th Regiment pursued enemy skirmishers and conducted a running fight, they ran into a swampy area backed by a rise where the Confederate Army awaited. The surrounding woods and thick underbrush impeded infantry movement and artillery support. The 55th and 54th regiments formed columns to advance on the enemy position in a flanking movement. As the Confederates repelled other units, the 55th and 54th regiments continued to move into tanking positions. Forced into a narrow gorge crossing a swamp in the face of the enemy position, the 55th's Color-Sergeant was killed by an exploding shell, and Corporal Smith took the Regimental Colors from his hand and carried them through heavy grape and canister fire. Although half of the officers and a third of the enlisted men engaged in the fight were killed or wounded, Corporal Smith continued to expose himself to enemy fire by carrying the colors throughout the battle. Through his actions, the Regimental Colors of the 55th Infantry Regiment were not lost to the enemy. Corporal Andrew Jackson Smith's extraordinary valor in the face of deadly enemy fire is in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon him, the 55th Regiment, and the United States Army.^[2]^[3]