Sampson Harris (Medal of Honor)

Sampson Harris (1841 – October 21, 1905) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.

Sampson Harris
Harris in 1880
Born1841 (1841)
Noble County, Ohio
Died(1905-10-21)October 21, 1905
Ohio
Place of burial
Olive Cemetery, Caldwell, Ohio
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Union Army
RankPrivate
UnitOhio Company K, 37th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
 • Siege of Vicksburg
AwardsMedal of Honor

Union assault

On May 22, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi.[1] The plan called for a storming party of volunteers to build a bridge across a moat and plant scaling ladders against the enemy embankment in advance of the main attack. The volunteers knew the odds were against survival and the mission was called, in 19th-century vernacular, a "forlorn hope". Only single men were accepted as volunteers and even then, twice as many men as needed came forward and were turned away. The assault began in the early morning following a naval bombardment. The Union soldiers came under enemy fire immediately and were pinned down in the ditch they were to cross. Despite repeated attacks by the main Union body, the men of the forlorn hope were unable to retreat until nightfall. Of the 150 men in the storming party, nearly half were killed. Seventy-nine of the survivors were awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor citation

"For gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863.[2][3][4][5]"

See also

Notes
  1. Dyer (1908), p. 171.
  2. Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs (1968), p. 105.
  3. Sightline Media Group (2020).
  4. VCOnline (2020).
  5. CMOHS (2014).

References
  • 37th OVI Veterans Association (1890). History of the 37th Regiment O.V.V.I. Toledo, Ohio: Montgomery & Vrooman. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  • Dyer, Frederick H (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q. OCLC 8697590.
  • Ohio Roster Commission (1887). 37th–53rd Regiments-Infantry. Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War on the Rebellion, 1861–1865. Vol. IV. Akron, OH: The Werner Ptg. and Mfg. Co. p. 842. OCLC 181357575.
  • Reid, Whitelaw (1868). The History of Her Regiments, and Other Military Organizations. Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers. Vol. II. Cincinnati, OH: Moore, Wilstach, & Baldwin. p. 1002. ISBN 9781154801965. OCLC 11632330.
  • Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Labor and Public Welfare (1968). Edward M Kennedy, Chairman (ed.). Medal of Honor, 1863-1968 : "In the Name of the Congress of the United States". Committee print (United States. Congress), 90th Congress, 2nd session. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1087. OCLC 1049691780.
  • U.S. War Department (1880). The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
  • "Hall of Valor: The Military Medals Database". The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  • "MOHs - victoriacross". THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  • "CMOHS.org - Official Website of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  • "Home - The National Medal of Honor Museum The National Medal of Honor Museum". The National Medal of Honor Museum. The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.


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