Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BEYER, HILLARY
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, Company H, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth:------. Date of issue: 30 October 1896. Citation: After his command had been forced to fall back, remained alone on the line of battle, caring for his wounded comrades and carrying one of them to a place of safety.
CARTER, JOHN J.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, Company B, 33d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Nunda, N.Y. Born: 16 June 1842, Troy, N.Y. Date of issue: 10 September 1897. Citation: While in command of a detached company, seeing his regiment thrown into confusion by a charge of the enemy, without orders made a countercharge upon the attacking column and checked the assault. Penetrated within the enemy's lines at night and obtained valuable information.
CHILD, BENJAMIN H.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Battery A, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Providence, R.I. Born: 8 May 1843, Providence, R.I. Date of issue: 20 July 1897. Citation: Was wounded and taken to the rear insensible, but when partially recovered insisted on returning to the battery and resumed command of his piece, so remaining until the close of the battle.
CLEVELAND, CHARLES F.
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 26th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Hartford, N.Y. Date of issue: 12 June 1895. Citation: Voluntarily took and carried the colors into action after the color bearer had been shot.
COOK, JOHN
Rank and organization: Bugler, Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery. Place and date: At Antietam Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Birth: Hamilton County, Ohio. Date of issue: 30 June 1894. Citation: Volunteered at the age of 15 years to act as a cannoneer, and as such volunteer served a gun under a terrific fire of the enemy.
CURRAN, RICHARD
Rank and organization: Assistant Surgeon, 33d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Seneca Falls, N.Y. Born: 4 January 1838, Ireland. Date of issue: 30 March 1898. Citation: Voluntarily exposed himself to great danger by going to the fighting line there succoring the wounded and helpless and conducting them to the field hospital.
GREENE, OLIVER D.
Rank and organization: Major and Assistant Adjutant General, U.S. Army. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Scott, N.Y. Born: 25 January 1833, Scott, N.Y. Date of issue: 13 December 1893. Citation: Formed the columns under heavy fire and put them into position.
GREIG, THEODORE W.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, Company C, 61st New York Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Staten Island, N.Y. Birth: New York. Date of issue: 10 February 1887. Citation: A Confederate regiment, the 4th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.), having planted its battle flag slightly in advance of the regiment, this officer rushed forward and seized it, and, although shot through the neck, retained the flag and brought it within the Union lines.
GRESSER, IGNATZ
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company D, 128th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Lehigh County, Pa. Born: 15 August 1832, Germany. Date of issue: 12 December 1895. Citation: While exposed to the fire of the enemy, carried from the field a wounded comrade.
HASKELL, MARCUS M.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 35th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Chelsea, Mass. Birth: Chelsea, Mass. Date of issue: 18 November 1896. Citation: Although wounded and exposed to a heavy fire from the enemy, at the risk of his own life he rescued a badly wounded comrade and succeeded in conveying him to a place of safety.
HOGARTY, WILLIAM P.
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 23d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. At Fredericksburg, Va., 13 December 1862. Entered service at: ------. Birth: New York, N.Y. Date of issue: 22 June 1891. Citation: Distinguished gallantry in actions while attached to Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery; lost his left arm at Fredericksburg.
HOOKER, GEORGE W.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company E, 4th Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At South Mountain, Md., 14 September 1862. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Birth: Salem, N.Y. Date of issue: 17 September 1891. Citation: Rode alone, in advance of his regiment, into the enemy's lines, and before his own men came up received the surrender of the major of a Confederate regiment, together with the colors and 116 men.
HYDE, THOMAS W.
Rank and organization: Major, 7th Maine Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Bath, Maine. Birth: Italy. Date of issue: 8 April 1891. Citation: Led his regiment in an assault on a strong body of the enemy's infantry and kept up the fight until the greater part of his men had been killed or wounded, bringing the remainder safely out of the fight.
JOHNSON, SAMUEL
Rank and organization: Private, Company G, 9th Pennsylvania Reserves. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Connellsville, Pa. Born: 1845, Fayette County, Pa. G.0. No.: 160, 30 May 1863. Citation: Individual bravery and daring in capturing from the enemy 2 colors of the 1st Texas Rangers (C.S.A.), receiving in the act a severe wound.
LIBAIRE, ADOLPHE
Rank and organization: Captain, Company E, 9th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth:------. Date of issue: 2 April 1898. Citation: In the advance on the enemy and after his color bearer and the entire color guard of 8 men had been shot down, this officer seized the regimental flag and with conspicuous gallantry carried it to the extreme front, urging the line forward.
MURPHY, JOHN P.
Rank and organization: Private, Company K, 5th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 11 September 1866. Citation: Capture of flag of 13th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.).
ORTH, JACOB G.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company D, 28th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 15 January 1867. Citation: Capture of flag of 7th South Carolina Infantry (C.S.A.), in hand_to_hand encounter, although he was wounded in the shoulder.
PAUL, WILLIAM H.
Rank and organization: Private, Company E, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 3 November 1896. Citation: Under a most withering and concentrated fire, voluntarily picked up the colors of his regiment, when the bearer and 2 of the color guard had been killed, and bore them aloft throughout the entire battle.
TANNER, CHARLES B.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, Company H, 1st Delaware Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Wilmington, Del. Birth: Pennsylvania. Date of issue: 13 December 1889. Citation: Carried off the regimental colors, which had fallen within 20 yards of the enemy's lines, the color guard of 9 men having all been killed or wounded; was himself 3 times wounded.
WHITMAN, FRANK M.
Rank and organization: Private, Company G, 35th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. At Spotsylvania, Va., 18 May 1864. Entered service at: Ayersville, Mass. Birth: Woodstock, Maine. Date of issue: 21 February 1874. Citation: Was among the last to leave the field at Antietam and was instrumental in saving the lives of several of his comrades at the imminent risk of his own. At Spotsylvania was foremost in line in the assault, where he lost a leg.
WRIGHT, SAMUEL C.
Rank and organization: Private, Company E, 29th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. Entered service at: Plympton, Mass. Birth: Plympton, Mass. Date of issue: 29 January 1896. Citation: Voluntarily advanced under a destructive fire and removed a fence which would have impeded a contemplated charge.
THOMAS, CHARLES L.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company E, 11th Ohio Cavalry. Place and date: At Powder River Expedition Dakota Territory, 17 September 1865. Entered service at:------. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 24 August 1894. Citation: Carried a message through a country infested with hostile Indians and saved the life of a comrade en route.
EILERS, HENRY A.
Rank and organization: Gunner's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 1871, Newark, N.J. Accredited to: New Jersey. G.O. No.: 404, 22 November 1892. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Philadelphia during the sham attack on Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Md., 17 September 1892. Displaying extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession on this occasion, Eilers remained at his post in the magazine and stamped out the burning particles of a prematurely exploded cartridge which had blown down the chute.
MORAN, JOHN E.
Rank and organization: Captain, Company L, 37th Infantry, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: Near Mabitac, Laguna, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 17 September 1900. Entered service at: Cascade County, Mont. Born: 23 August 1856, Vernon, Windham County, Vt. Date of issue: 10 June 1910. Citation: After the attacking party had become demoralized, fearlessly led a small body of troops under a severe fire and through water waist deep in the attack against the enemy.
McGUNIGAL, PATRICK
Rank and organization: Shipfitter First Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 30 May 1876, Hubbard, Ohio. Accredited to: Ohio. G.O. No.: 341, 1917. Citation: For extraordinary heroism while attached to the Huntington. On the morning of 17 September 1917, while the U.S.S. Huntington was passing through the war zone, a kite balloon was sent up with Lt. (j.g.) H. W. Hoyt, U.S. Navy, as observer. When the balloon was about 400 feet in the air, the temperature suddenly dropped, causing the balloon to descend about 200 feet, when it was struck by a squall. The balloon was hauled to the ship's side, but the basket trailed in the water and the pilot was submerged. McGunigal, with great daring, climbed down the side of the ship, jumped to the ropes leading to the basket, and cleared the tangle enough to get the pilot out of them. He then helped the pilot to get clear, put a bowline around him, and enabled him to be hauled to the deck. A bowline was lowered to McGunigal and he was taken safely aboard.
CLARK, FRANCIS J.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K, 109th Infantry, 28th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kalborn, Luxembourg, 12 September 1944; near Sevenig, Germany, 17 September 1944. Entered service at: Salem, N.Y. Birth: Whitehall, N.Y. G.O. No.: 77, 10 September 1945. Citation: He fought gallantly in Luxembourg and Germany. On 12 September 1944, Company K began fording the Our River near Kalborn, Luxembourg, to take high ground on the opposite bank. Covered by early morning fog, the 3d Platoon, in which T/Sgt. Clark was squad leader, successfully negotiated the crossing; but when the 2d Platoon reached the shore, withering automatic and small-arms fire ripped into it, eliminating the platoon leader and platoon sergeant and pinning down the troops in the open. From his comparatively safe position, T/Sgt. Clark crawled alone across a field through a hail of bullets to the stricken troops. He led the platoon to safety and then unhesitatingly returned into the fire-swept area to rescue a wounded soldier, carrying him to the American line while hostile gunners tried to cut him down. Later, he led his squad and men of the 2d Platoon in dangerous sorties against strong enemy positions to weaken them by lightning-like jabs. He assaulted an enemy machinegun with hand grenades, killing 2 Germans. He roamed the front and flanks, dashing toward hostile weapons, killing and wounding an undetermined number of the enemy, scattering German patrols and, eventually, forcing the withdrawal of a full company of Germans heavily armed with automatic weapons. On 17 September, near Sevenig, Germany, he advanced alone against an enemy machinegun, killed the gunner and forced the assistant to flee. The Germans counterattacked, and heavy casualties were suffered by Company K. Seeing that 2 platoons lacked leadership, T/Sgt. Clark took over their command and moved among the men to give encouragement. Although wounded on the morning of 18 September, he refused to be evacuated and took up a position in a pillbox when night came. Emerging at daybreak, he killed a German soldier setting up a machinegun not more than 5 yards away. When he located another enemy gun, he moved up unobserved and killed 2 Germans with rifle fire. Later that day he voluntarily braved small-arms fire to take food and water to members of an isolated platoon. T/Sgt. Clark's actions in assuming command when leadership was desperately needed, in launching attacks and beating off counterattacks, in aiding his stranded comrades, and in fearlessly facing powerful enemy fire, were strikingly heroic examples and put fighting heart into the hard-pressed men of Company K.
*MESSERSCHMIDT, HAROLD O.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company L, 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Radden, France, 17 September 1944. Entered service at: Chester, Pa. Birth: Grier City, Pa. G.O. No.: 71, 17 July 1946. Citation: He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Braving machinegun, machine pistol, and rifle fire, he moved fearlessly and calmly from man to man along his 40-yard squad front, encouraging each to hold against the overwhelming assault of a fanatical foe surging up the hillside. Knocked to the ground by a burst from an enemy automatic weapon, he immediately jumped to his feet, and ignoring his grave wounds, fired his submachine gun at the enemy that was now upon them, killing 5 and wounding many others before his ammunition was spent. Virtually surrounded by a frenzied foe and all of his squad now casualties, he elected to fight alone, using his empty submachine gun as a bludgeon against his assailants. Spotting 1 of the enemy about to kill a wounded comrade, he felled the German with a blow of his weapon. Seeing friendly reinforcements running up the hill, he continued furiously to wield his empty gun against the foe in a new attack, and it was thus that he made the supreme sacrifice. Sgt. Messerschmidt's sustained heroism in hand-to-hand combat with superior enemy forces was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service .
*MONEGAN, WALTER C., JR.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company F, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Near Sosa-ri, Korea, 17 and 20 September 1950. Entered service at: Seattle, Wash. Born: 25 December 1930, Melrose, Mass. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rocket gunner attached to Company F, and in action against enemy aggressor forces. Dug in on a hill overlooking the main Seoul highway when 6 enemy tanks threatened to break through the battalion position during a predawn attack on 17 September, Pfc. Monegan promptly moved forward with his bazooka, under heavy hostile automatic weapons fre and engaged the lead tank at a range of less than 50 yards. After scoring a direct hit and killing the sole surviving tankman with his carbine as he came through the escape hatch, he boldly fired 2 more rounds of ammunition at the oncoming tanks, disorganizing the attack and enabling our tank crews to continue blasting with their 90-mm guns. With his own and an adjacent company's position threatened by annihilation when an overwhelming enemy tank-infantry force bypassed the area and proceeded toward the battalion command post during the early morning of September 20, he seized his rocket launcher and, in total darkness, charged down the slope of the hill where the tanks had broken through. Quick to act when an illuminating shell lit the area, he scored a direct hit on one of the tanks as hostile rifle and automatic-weapons fire raked the area at close range. Again exposing himself, he fired another round to destroy a second tank and, as the rear tank turned to retreat, stood upright to fire and was fatally struck down by hostile machine gun fire when another illuminating shell silhouetted him against the sky. Pfc. Monegan's daring initiative, gallant fighting spirit and courageous devotion to duty were contributing factors in the success of his company in repelling the enemy, and his self-sacrificing efforts throughout sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country .
*PILILAAU, HERBERT K.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Pia-ri, Korea, 17 September 1951. Entered service at: Oahu, T.H. Born: 10 October 1928, Waianae, Oahu, T.H. G.O. No.: 58, 18 June 1952. Citation: Pfc. Pililaau, a member of Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. The enemy sent wave after wave of fanatical troops against his platoon which held a key terrain feature on "Heartbreak Ridge." Valiantly defending its position, the unit repulsed each attack until ammunition became practically exhausted and it was ordered to withdraw to a new position. Voluntarily remaining behind to cover the withdrawal, Pfc. Pililaau fired his automatic weapon into the ranks of the assailants, threw all his grenades and, with ammunition exhausted, closed with the foe in hand-to-hand combat, courageously fighting with his trench knife and bare fists until finally overcome and mortally wounded. When the position was subsequently retaken, more than 40 enemy dead were counted in the area he had so valiantly defended. His heroic devotion to duty, indomitable fighting spirit, and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself, the infantry, and the U.S. Army.
TODAY IN MILITARY HISTORY
17 September
◆70 Emperor Titus captures Jerusalem amid great slaughter.
◆1176 Battle of Miriocefalo: The Seljuks defeat the Byzantines.
◆1462 Battle of Puck/Swiecin/Zarnowiec: Casimir IV of Poland defeats the Teutonic Knights.
◆1631 Battle of Breitenfeld: King Gustavus Adolphus defeats General Tilly.★
◆1730 Friedrich von Steuben, Prussian and US inspector-general of Washington's army, was born.
◆1766 Samuel Wilson, the future Uncle Sam, was born in Menotomy Mass. Menotomy later became Arlington. Samuel moved to Troy, New York, where he and his brother set up meat packing plants which later provided food for the US Army during the War of 1812.
◆1776 The Presidio of SF formed as a Spanish fort. The Spanish built the Presidio on the hill where the Golden Gate Bridge now meets San Francisco.
◆1778 The 1st treaty between the US and Indian tribes was signed at Fort Pitt.
◆1787 The Constitution of the United States of America is signed by 38 of 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.★
◆1859 Joshua A. Norton proclaims himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico with a proclamation delivered to the offices of the San Francisco Bulletin.
◆1861 Union landing party from USS Massachusetts takes possession of Ship Island south of New Orleans, LA. This was the headquarters for ADM David Farragut's Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron.
◆1861 Landing party from U.S.S. Pawnee, Commander Rowan, destroyed guns and fortifications on Beacon Island, closing Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina.Admiral D. D. Porter later wrote: "The closing of these inlets [Hatteras and Ocracoke] to the Sounds of North Carolina sent the blockade runners elsewhere to find entrance to Southern markets, but as channel after channel was closed the smugglers' chance diminished.
◆1861 Confederates evacuated Ship Island, Mississippi; landing party from U.S.S. Massachusetts took possession. Ship Island eventually became the staging area for General Butler's troops in the amphibious opera¬tions below New Orleans.
◆1862 Battle of Antietam: Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union General George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac fight to a standstill along a Maryland creek on the bloodiest day in American history.★
◆1862 At the end of the single bloodiest day in American military history, both Union and Confederate armies arrayed along Antietam Creek stop fighting due to exhaustion. More than 23,000 soldiers on both sides were killed, wounded or missing. After the 18th passed quietly Confederate General Robert E. Lee started withdrawing his army on the morning of the 19th back into Virginia without interference.
◆1862 Sgt. William McKinley and a single volunteer drove a wagon of hot coffee and warm food through Confederate fire at Antietam to the men of the 23rd Ohio regiment. Col. Rutherford B. Hayes promoted him to lieutenant for his bravery and initiative.
◆1862 Battle of Cumberland Gap, Tenn., was evacuated by Federals.
◆1863 Union cavalry troops clashed with a group of Confederates at Chickamauga Creek.
◆1864 Gen. Grant approved Sheridan's plan for Shenandoah Valley Campaign. "I want it so barren that a crow, flying down it, would need to pack rations."
◆1868 Early in the morning on this day in 1868, a large band of Cheyenne and Sioux stage a surprise attack on Major George A. Forsyth and a volunteer force of 50 frontiersmen in Colorado.★
◆1902 U.S. troops were sent to Panama to keep train lines open over the isthmus as Panamanian nationals struggled for independence from Colombia.
◆1908 Orville Wright’s passenger on a test flight was Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge.
◆1919 General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War I, leads the National Victory Day Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and past the White House.
◆1939 Soviet Union invades Poland.
◆1941 The US Navy increases its role in escorting Atlantic convoys. It assumes responsibility for some of the Halifax to Britain convoys and the security of traffic to Iceland. It will augment the Canadian Naval escorts which travel to 22 degrees west until British ships take over.
◆1942 All atomic research is place under military control. General Groves is appointed head of the program. He has deep fears about security and a dislike of the British which leads to a policy of reluctant sharing of information concerning atomic weapon development with the British Allies.
◆1943 The US 5th Army begins to advance out of its beachhead. German forces attack Altavilla and Battipaglia in rearguard action to cover their withdrawal to the Volturno Line.
◆1943 American land-based Liberator bombers attack the island of Tarawa.
◆1944 Operation Market Garden begins. The Allied intention is to secure key bridges over a series of rivers and canals in Holland to achieve a rapid advance onto the north German plain. On the first day, the US 101st Airborne Division secures bridges at Veghel and Zon. The US 82nd Airborne Division secures the bridge at Grave but not the one at Nijmegen. The British 1st Airborne Division, dropped near Arnhem, fails to secure the bridge there because of unexpected German resistance. Unknown to Allied planners, the 9th SS Hohenstaufen and 10th SS Frundsberg Panzer Divisions are located in Arnhem for rest and refit from combat on the Eastern Front. Meanwhile, the British 30th Corps (part of British 2nd Army) attacks northward toward Eindhoven to relieve the paratroopers. To the west, Canadian forces, also part of British 21st Army Group, launch an attack on Boulogne after a preparatory bombing by the RAF.
◆1944 US 8th Infantry Division (General Mueller) lands on Angaur. There is limited resistance by the Japanese garrison, numbering about 1600 men. On Pelelieu, American forces have consolidated their hold on the south side of the island and begin attacks on the well developed Japanese positions on Mount Umurgrobol. Despite naval bombardment supporting the advance, only limited progress is achieved by the attacks.
◆1945 Josef Kramer and 44 others German SS officers stand trial at Luneburg on charges of conspiracy to commit mass murder at Auschwitz and Belsen.
◆1950 North Korean Air Force aircraft slightly damaged the USS Rochester at Inchon during the first enemy air attack of the war on a U.S. ship.
◆1950 The U.S. 7th Infantry Division began debarking at Inchon and, augmented by the ROK Army's 17th Infantry Regiment, prepared for the advanced to secure Suwon.
◆1950 The 5th Marine Regiment seized Kimpo Airfield, allowing F4U Corsairs from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing to land and begin combat operations. Meanwhile, the 7th Marine Regiment landed at Inchon to rejoin the 1st Marine Division advancing on Seoul.
◆1959 The X-15 rocket plane made its first flight.
◆1966 Elements of 5th Marine Division in Operation "Deckhouse IV," south of DMZ.
◆1966 Operation "Golden Fleece," Marines protected rice harvest in Vietnam. (concluded 27 September)
◆1976 NASA publicly unveils its first space shuttle, the Enterprise, during a ceremony in Palmdale, California.