Abraham Cohn (June 17, 1832, in Guttentag,

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

; died June 2, 1897, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) was an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

soldier and recipient to the highest military decoration for valor in combat — the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

— for having distinguished himself at the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, on May 6, 1864, and the

Battle of the Crater The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the siege of Petersburg. It took place on Saturday, July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Arm ...

, Petersburg,

, on July 30, 1864. Cohn originally enlisted with the 68th New York Infantry Regiment in October 1861, and rose to the rank of Captain before being discharged in December 1862. He re-enlisted with the

6th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment The 6th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 6th New Hampshire Infantry was organized in Keene, New Hampshire, and mustered in for a three-year enlistm ...

in January 1864, and was mustered out in July 1865.Jewish-American History page
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Medal of Honor citation

*Rank and organization:

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

, 6th New Hampshire Infantry *Place and date: At Wilderness, Virginia, May 6, 1864; At the mine, Petersburg, Virginia, July 30, 1864 *Entered service at:

Campton, New Hampshire Campton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,343 at the 2020 census. Campton, which includes the villages of Blair, Campton Hollow, Lower Campton and West Campton, is home to Blair State Forest and Liverm ...

*Birth: Guttentag, Prussia *Date of issue: August 24, 1865 Citation:

During Battle of the Wilderness rallied and formed, under heavy fire, disorganized and fleeing troops of different regiments. At Petersburg, Va., July 30, 1864, bravely and coolly carried orders to the advanced line under severe fire.

Notes

References

*
Abraham Cohn at Find a grave
1832 births 1897 deaths People from Olesno County People from the Province of Silesia American people of German-Jewish descent Burials at Beth Olom Cemetery Prussian emigrants to the United States United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army officers Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients Jewish Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Union Army officers {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References