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Charles Henry Smith (Army Medal of Honor)

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Charles Henry Smith
Charles Henry Smith, 1st Maine Volunteer Cavalry, c. 1865
Born(1827-11-01)November 1, 1827
Hollis, Maine, US
DiedJuly 17, 1902(1902-07-17) (aged 74)
Washington, DC, US
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1861–1891
Rank Colonel
Brevet major general
Unit1st Maine Cavalry Regiment
19th U.S. Infantry Regiment
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
Awards Medal of Honor
Signature

Charles Henry Smith (November 1, 1827 – July 17, 1902) was a brigadier general of the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in the American Civil War.

Personal

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Smith was born in Hollis, Maine.[1] He taught school before the Civil War. He married Mary R. L. Livermore in 1850. She died on December 18, 1897, in Washington, D.C. He never remarried, and died in Washington also, on July 17, 1902.[2] He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to his wife. His younger brother, George Washington Smith, served as a 90-day volunteer as a sergeant in Co I, 3rd Massachusetts Infantry, reenlisting in the 18th Massachusetts Infantry where he served from August 1861 to September 1864.

Military

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Grave at Arlington National Cemetery

During the Civil War, Smith was a member of the 1st Maine Volunteer Cavalry Regiment.[3] He was commissioned a captain in November 1861 and took command of Company D. He served well and was promoted to major on February 16, 1863. Promoted again March 26 to lieutenant colonel, he participated in the Stoneman 1863 raid. He commanded the regiment in Col. Douty's absence at Brandy Station assuming command after Douty's death at Aldie[4] June 17, 1863 when he was promoted colonel.He commanded through the rest of the Gettysburg Campaign.[5] He was breveted to brigadier general on August 20, 1864, and took command of the brigade. He ended the war at Appomattox having commanded several brigades and a division.

He earned his Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of St. Mary's Church in October 1864.[6][7] Issued on April 11, 1895, his citation read:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Colonel (Cavalry) Charles Henry Smith, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 24 June 1864, while serving with 1st Maine Cavalry, in action at St. Mary's Church, Virginia. Colonel Smith remained in the fight to the close, although severely wounded.[6][8]

— D. S. Lamont, Secretary of War

He remained in the army after the war and retired as a colonel in 1891.[9]

He was a companion of the District of Columbia Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

References

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Citations

  1. ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, v. VIII (1924), p. 452.
  2. ^ Hartford Courant," Death of General C. H. Smith, July 18, 1902, p. 8.
  3. ^ Dyer (1908), p. 1254; Federal Publishing Company (1908), p. 60; Hodsdon (1867), p. 8.
  4. ^ Merrill (1866), p. 389; Tobie (1887), p. 165.
  5. ^ Maine Gettysburg Commission (1898), pp. 1069.
  6. ^ a b USARCMH.
  7. ^ Beyer (1905), pp. 318–319.
  8. ^ Hall of Valor (2016).
  9. ^ Heitman (1903), pp. 1069.

Sources

  • The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. VIII. James T. White & Company. 1924. p. 452. Retrieved January 27, 2021 – via Google Books.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Beyer, Walter Frederick (1905). Deeds of Valor (PDF) (1st ed.). Detroit, MI: Perrien-Keydel Co. pp. 318–319. OCLC 680527243.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Dyer, Frederick Henry (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (PDF). Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. pp. 1254–1255. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q. Retrieved August 8, 2015.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Federal Publishing Company (1908). Military Affairs and Regimental Histories of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, And Delaware (PDF). The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861–65 – Records of the Regiments in the Union army – Cyclopedia of battles – Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. Vol. I. Madison, WI: Federal Publishing Company. p. 60. OCLC 694018100.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Heitman, Francis Bernard (1903). Parts I and II. Historical register and dictionary of the United States Army : from its organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903. Vol. I. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. p. 1069. ISBN 9781333789817. OCLC 983265560. Retrieved August 30, 2016.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • "Death of General C. H. Smith". Hartford Courant. Washington. July 18, 1902. p. 8. Retrieved January 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com}.
  • Hodsdon, John L, Adjutant General (1867). Annual report of the Adjutant General of the State of Maine, 1861–1866. Augusta, ME: Stevens & Sayward. p. 1346. OCLC 866320784.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Maine Gettysburg Commission (1898). Maine at Gettysburg: Report of Maine Commissioners Prepared by the Executive Committee (PDF). Portland, ME: The Lakeside Press. p. 694. OCLC 6079300.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Merrill, Samuel Hill (1866). The Campaigns of the First Maine and First District of Columbia Cavalry (PDF). Portland, ME: Bailey & Noyes. p. 389. OCLC 1041622265.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Tobie, Edward Parsons Jr (1887). History of the First Maine Cavalry 1861–1865 (PDF). Boston, MA: The First Maine Cavalry Association. p. 165. OCLC 02013163. Retrieved August 2, 2018.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • "Charles H. Smith – Recipient". The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  • "Civil War (Recipients M-Z)". Medal of Honor Recipients. US Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
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