Bruce Anderson (soldier)
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| Bruce Anderson | |
|---|---|
| June 19, 1845 – August 22, 1922 (aged 77) | |
 Bruce Anderson, Medal of Honor recipient |
|
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico[1] |
| Place of death | Albany, New York |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | from 1864 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 142nd New York Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War *Second Battle of Fort Fisher |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Bruce Anderson (19 June 1845–22 August 1922) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.
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[edit] Biography
Anderson was born in Mexico City but by the beginning of the Civil War was working as a farmer in New York.[1] He enlisted from Schenectady[2] on August 31, 1864 as a private into Company K of the 142nd New York Infantry.[3]
On January 15, 1865, Anderson participated in the Union's second attack on Fort Fisher in North Carolina. He and twelve other men answered a call for volunteers to advance ahead of the main attack and cut down the palisade which blocked their path. Despite intense fire from the Confederate defenders, Anderson and the others were successful in destroying the obstacle. General Adelbert Ames recommended all thirteen men for the Medal of Honor, but his report was misplaced and the medals not issued.[3]
Forty-nine years after the end of the war, in 1914, Anderson hired a lawyer in an effort to receive the Medal of Honor. One of the other thirteen soldiers in the palisade-cutting group, Private Zachariah C. Neahr, had successfully petitioned for the award decades earlier. At Anderson's prompting, the Adjutant General of the Army launched an investigation which uncovered General Ames' letter of recommendation and sought out the other men of the group. Three men, Alaric B. Chapin, George Merrill, and Dewitt C. Hotchkiss, were found to be still alive and were, along with Anderson, again recommended for the medal.[3] Anderson, Merrill, and Chapin were each issued the Medal of Honor on December 28, 1914; Hotchkiss' recommendation was overlooked a second time, and he was never decorated.[3][4]
Anderson lived for a time in Illinois, but eventually returned to New York and settled there in the city of Amsterdam. He died at age 77 in St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, New York, and was buried at Green Hill Cemetery in Amsterdam.[3]
[edit] Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Private, Company K, 142d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Fisher, N.C., 15 January 1865. Entered service at: Ephratah, N.Y.[2] Born: Mexico, Oswego County, N.Y.[1], 9 June 1845. Date of issue: 28 December 1914.[5]
Citation:
- Voluntarily advanced with the head of the column and cut down the palisading.[5]
[edit] See also
- List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the American Civil War: A-L
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Anderson's Medal of Honor citation incorrectly records his place of birth as Mexico, New York.
- ^ a b Anderson's Medal of Honor citation incorrectly records his place of enlistment as Ephratah, New York.
- ^ a b c d e Hanna, 14
- ^ Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients (M-Z) Retrieved on 2008-01-31
- ^ a b Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients (A-L)
[edit] References
- Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients - (A-L). Medal of Honor Citations. U.S. Army Center of Military History (2005-04-27). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- Hanna, Charles W. (2002). African American recipients of the Medal of Honor: a biographical dictionary, Civil War through Vietnam War. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 14. ISBN 0-7864-1355-7.
[edit] External links
- Bruce Anderson (soldier) at Find A Grave Retrieved on 2008-02-14
