Bruce Anderson (June 19, 1845 – August 22, 1922) was an
African American Union Army soldier in the
American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the
Medal of Honor, for his actions during the
Second Battle of Fort Fisher.
After working as a farmer in New York Anderson joined the military to fight in the Civil War and volunteered with a group of other soldiers to eliminate a
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymology
''Palisade' ...
that was blocking the advance of his unit. After completing the mission and destroying the palisade, Anderson and twelve others were recommended for the Medal of Honor but the paperwork was lost. Anderson hired an attorney to get the Medal and he and two other soldiers received it in 1914.
Biography
Anderson was born June 19, 1845, in
Mexico City but by the beginning of the Civil War was working as a farmer in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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.
He enlisted for service in the military from
Schenectady[Anderson's Medal of Honor citation incorrectly records his place of enlistment as Ephratah, New York.] on August 31, 1864, as a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
in Company K,
142nd New York Volunteer Infantry.
[Hanna, 14] Anderson has the unusual, but not unique, distinction of being an African American soldier who served in a white Civil War regiment.
[Moss]
On January 15, 1865, Anderson participated in the
Union's second attack on
Fort Fisher in
North Carolina. He and twelve other men answered a call for volunteers to advance ahead of the main attack and cut down the palisade which blocked their path. Despite intense fire from the
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
defenders, Anderson and the others were successful in destroying the obstacle. General
Adelbert Ames recommended all thirteen men for the Medal of Honor, but his report was misplaced and not all of the medals were issued.
[
Forty-nine years after the end of the war, in 1914, Anderson hired a lawyer in an effort to receive the Medal of Honor. One of the other soldiers in the palisade-cutting group, Private ]Zachariah C. Neahr
Zachariah C. Neahr (December 9, 1830 – July 21, 1903) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.
Military service
Neahr e ...
, had successfully petitioned for the award decades earlier. At Anderson's prompting, the Adjutant General of the Army launched an investigation which uncovered General Ames' letter of recommendation and sought out the other men of the group. Three men, Alaric B. Chapin, George Merrill, and Dewitt C. Hotchkiss, were found to be still alive and were, along with Anderson, again recommended for the medal.[ Anderson, Merrill, and Chapin were each issued the Medal of Honor on December 28, 1914; Hotchkiss' recommendation was overlooked a second time, and he was never decorated.][
]
Medal of Honor citation
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Bruce Anderson, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 15 January 1865, while serving with Company K, 142d New York Infantry, in action at Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Private Anderson voluntarily advanced with the head of the column and cut down the palisading.
General Orders: Date of Issue: December 28, 1914
Action Date: January 15, 1865
Service: Army
Rank: Private
Company: Company K
Regiment: 142nd New York Infantry
See also
* List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their ...
* List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
*
* List of African-American Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. Recipients must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own l ...
Footnotes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Bruce
1845 births
1922 deaths
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
People from Amsterdam, New York
Union Army soldiers
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
Mexican emigrants to the United States
Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients
African Americans in the American Civil War
20th-century African-American people