Francis Asbury Wallar (August 15, 1840April 30, 1911) was a

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 ...

volunteer in the

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 ...

and received 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 actions on the first day of the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, July 1, 1863. He was a corporal in Company I of the

6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of the war as a part of the famous Iron Brigade in the Army of the Potomac. Service The 6th Wisconsin was rai ...

, in the

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought enti ...

of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

. During the battle, he engaged a

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 1 ...

soldier of the 2nd Mississippi Infantry Regiment in single combat, capturing him and seizing his battle flag. Following the war he became Sheriff of

Vernon County, Wisconsin Vernon County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,714. Its county seat is Viroqua. History Vernon County was renamed from Bad Ax County on March 22, 1862. Bad Ax County had been created on ...

. Wallar died in 1911 and was buried in Walnut Mound Cemetery in

Retreat, Wisconsin Retreat, Wisconsin is an unincorporated community in Vernon County, Wisconsin in the town of Sterling. Notable people * Francis A. Wallar, Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration ...

. A plaque commemorating Wallar was installed at the cemetery in Retreat in 1961.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 6th Wisconsin Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., July 1, 1863. Entered service at: DeSoto, Vernon County, Wis. Birth: Guernsey County, Ohio. Date of issue: December 1, 1864. Citation:

Capture of flag of 2d Mississippi Infantry (C.S.A.).

Notes

References

* 1840 births 1911 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army soldiers People from Guernsey County, Ohio People from De Soto, Wisconsin People from Vernon County, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Burials in Wisconsin American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Wisconsin sheriffs {{US-army-bio-stub

Medal of Honor citation

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References