| James Martinus Schoonmaker, Sr. | |
|---|---|
James Martinus Schoonmaker circa 1913 |
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| Born | June 30, 1842 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 11, 1927 (aged 85) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Place of burial | Homewood Cemetery Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor *Third Battle of Winchester |
| Other work | Railroad executive |
James Martinus Schoonmaker, Sr. (June 30, 1842 - October 11, 1927), was a German American Colonel in the Union Army in the American Civil War and a vice-president of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Third Battle of Winchester on September 19, 1864.
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He was born in Peebles Twp. (subsequently Pittsburgh) on June 30, 1842 to James Schoonmaker and Mary Clark Stockton. James was a student at the Western University of Pennsylvania when the American Civil War began and enlisted in a local company of recruits which was assigned to the 1st Maryland Cavalry. During the next thirteen months, he proved himself repeatedly in battle and in command of his troops.[1]
Schoonmaker rose in the ranks until he commanded a cavalry brigade in the Army of the Shenandoah under the commander of Phillip Sheridan. At the Third Battle of Winchester, September 19, 1864, Schoonmaker led his troops in a dismounted charge against Confederate artillery in Fort Alabama (Star Fort). It was for this action he received the Medal of Honor on May 19, 1899. The Medal of Honor citation reads: "During the Battle of Star Fort, Virginia, at a critical period, gallantly led a cavalry charge against the left of the enemy's line of battle, drove the enemy out of his works, and captured many prisoners."[2]
He was on the board of directors at Mellon Bank. He married Alice Brown and Rebekah Cook and had three children: Gretchen Schoonmaker, William Schoonmaker, and James Martinus Schoonmaker, Jr.[3] He died on October 11, 1927 in Pittsburgh.[4] He is buried in Homewood Cemetery in Pittsburgh.