Eri D. Woodbury

Eri Davidson Woodbury (May 30, 1837 – April 14, 1928) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Battle of Cedar Creek fought near Middletown, Virginia on October 19, 1864. The battle was the decisive engagement of Major General Philip Sheridan’s Valley Campaigns of 1864 and was the largest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley.

Eri D. Woodbury
Born(1837-05-30)May 30, 1837
Francetown, New Hampshire
DiedApril 14, 1928(1928-04-14) (aged 90)
Cheshire, Connecticut
Place of burial
Saint Peters Church Cemetery, Cheshire, Connecticut
AllegianceUnited States United States
Service/branchUnited States United States Army
Union Army
Years of service1863 - 1865
Rank First Lieutenant
Brevet Captain
UnitVermont 1st Vermont Cavalry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
 • Battle of Cedar Creek
AwardsMedal of Honor

Woodbury graduated from Dartmouth College in 1863. He enlisted in the army in December of that year, and mustered out in June 1865[1] After the war, he taught at Cheshire Academy for 38 years, eventually becoming its headmaster.[2][3]

Medal of Honor citation

“The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Eri Davidson Woodbury, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 19 October 1864, while serving with Company E, 1st Vermont Cavalry, in action at Cedar Creek, Virginia. During the regiment's charge when the enemy was in retreat Sergeant Woodbury encountered four Confederate infantrymen retreating. He drew his saber and ordered them to surrender, overcoming by his determined actions their willingness to further resist. They surrendered to him together with their rifles and 12th North Carolina (Confederate States of America) regimental flag.”

Woodbury was sent to Washington, D.C., with the captured Confederate battle flag. He was personally introduced to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton by General George Custer. Stanton personally presented the Medal of Honor to Woodbury. Sergeant Woodbury was also promoted to First Lieutenant and was mustered out as a Brevet Captain in Jun 1865.

See also

References
  1. "Vermont Civil War, Lest We Forget". vermontcivilwar.org.
  2. Thomas, Grace Powers (1898). Where to educate, 1898-1899. A guide to the best private schools, higher institutions of learning, etc., in the United States. Boston: Brown and Company. p. 26. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  3. "Eri Woodbury" (PDF). www.cheshireacademy.org.
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