| William Henry Barnes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1840 or 1845 |
| Died | December 24 1866 (aged 25–26) or 1866 (aged 20–21) |
| Place of birth | Saint Mary's County, Maryland |
| Place of death | Indianola, Texas |
| Place of burial | San Antonio National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1864-1866 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 38th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars |
American Civil War *Battle of Chaffin's Farm |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
William Henry Barnes (c. 1840 or 1845-December 24, 1866) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor.
Biography[]
Barnes worked as a farmer before enlisting in the Army from Norfolk, Virginia, on February 11, 1864. He joined as a private into Company C of the 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment. His enlistment papers record his age as 23, implying a birth year of 1840 or 1841, but other sources give his birth as 1845.[1]
At the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, on September 29, 1864, Barnes' regiment was among a division of black troops assigned to attack the center of the Confederate defenses at New Market Heights.[1] The defenses consisted of two lines of abatis and one line of palisades manned by Brigadier General John Gregg's Texas Brigade. The attack was met with intense Confederate fire; over fifty percent of the black troops were killed, captured, or wounded.[2] Barnes was awarded the Medal of Honor for being "[a]mong the first to enter the enemy's works; although wounded."[3] His medal was issued six months after the battle, on April 6, 1865,[3] and he was promoted to Sergeant another three months later, on July 1, 1865.[2]
Barnes remained in the Army after the war, traveling to Texas with his regiment. He died of tuberculosis at an Army hospital in Indianola on December 24, 1866. A marker in his memory was placed in San Antonio National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas.[2]
Medal of Honor citation[]
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 38th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., September 29, 1864. Entered service at:------. Birth: St. Marys County, Md. Date of issue April 6, 1865.[3]
Citation:
- Among the first to enter the enemy's works; although wounded.[3]
See also[]
- List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
- List of African-American Medal of Honor recipients
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hanna, p. 15
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hanna, p. 16
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A-L)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 6, 2009. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwaral.html. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
References[]
- Melvin Claxton and Mark Puls, Uncommon valor : a story of race, patriotism, and glory in the final battles of the Civil War, (Wiley, 2006) (ISBN 0471468231)
- "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A-L)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. 2005-04-27. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwaral.html. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- 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. pp. 15–16. ISBN 0-7864-1355-7.
External links[]
- "William H. Barnes". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18172. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
The original article can be found at William H. Barnes and the edit history here.