George W. Harris (March 6, 1835 – January 30, 1921) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

soldier who fought with the

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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during 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 ...

as a private with Company B of the

148th Pennsylvania Infantry The 148th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 148th Pennsylvania Infantry was composed of volunteers raised chiefly in Centre County, Pennsylv ...

, a regiment which "was present in every battle of the Army of the Potomac from Chancellorsville to the surrender at Appomattox and was in the hottest fighting of all of them except the Wilderness". On December 1, 1864, he received his nation's highest award for valor, the U.S.

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 valo ...

, for capturing the enemy's flag while engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy during the

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 186 ...

on May 12, 1864.

Formative years

Harris was born on March 6, 1835, in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. During the early years of the

, he was employed as a sailor.

Civil War

1862

On August 15, 1862, at the age of 33, Harris enrolled for Civil War military service at Milesburg,

Centre County, Pennsylvania Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lands ...

. He then officially mustered in for duty at

Camp Curtin Camp Curtin was a major Union Army training camp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War. It was located north of Pennsylvania's state capitol building on 80 acres of what had previously been land used by the Dauphin County Ag ...

in Harrisburg as a private with Company B of the

on August 29. Transported to

Cockeysville, Maryland Cockeysville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,776 at the 2010 census. History Cockeysville was named after the Cockey family who helped establish the town. Thomas Cockey (1676� ...

, from September 9–10, 1862, Harris and his fellow 148th Pennsylvania Volunteers remained there until December 9 when they were transported to the field, by way of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Marched to the front lines of the war on December 11, they were assigned to the First Brigade, First Division, Second Corps upon reaching the Army of the Potomac's headquarters in

Falmouth, Virginia Falmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stafford County, Virginia, United States. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U. ...

, on December 17. The regiment was provided with tents on Christmas Day, 1862.

1863

They were equipped with Springfield rifles on January 17, 1863. On April 7, they participated in a review of Union Army troops by

President Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

. By the end of that month, they were engaged in their first major test of combat — the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

. After burying the last of their casualties on June 16, they marched for Pennsylvania where, from July 1–3, they fought in 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 ...

. Afterward, they marched for Maryland and then Virginia where, on July 23, they supported the U.S. Army's Third Corps in the

Battle of Wapping Heights The Battle of Manassas Gap, also known as the Battle of Wapping Heights, took place on July 23, 1863, in Warren County, Virginia, at the conclusion of General Robert E. Lee's retreat back to Virginia in the final days of the Gettysburg Campaig ...

. Engaged in the Union Army's Port Conway Expedition from August 31-September 4, they continued to pursue enemy troops throughout Virginia during the months of September and October. On September 24, they were transferred to the Third Brigade. On October 14, they fought in the battles of Auburn Mills/Coffee Hill and Bristoe Station. In late November, they embarked on the

Mine Run Campaign The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union ...

1864

Battle of Spottsylvania by Thure de Thulstrup

After emerging from winter quarters in March 1864, Harris and his fellow 148th Pennsylvanians were attached to the Fourth Brigade. On April 22, they marched in the Grand Review overseen by Union General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. Marching for the Wilderness on May 4, they next engaged the enemy in the Battle of Po River on May 10 near Spottsylvania. Two days later, on May 12, 1864, Harris performed the act of valor for which he would later receive the U.S. Medal of Honor. While engaged with his regiment in charging the "Mule Shoe", a salient exposed during the Battle of Spottsylvania, he wrested the enemy's flag from a

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

color-bearer, and then shot a second CSA officer who attempted to retrieve it. Engaging the enemy again near Spottsylvania on May 18, Harris and the 148th Pennsylvania then fought in the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses ...

on June 3. After the regiment buried the last of its dead, they withdrew to Wilcox Landing and, beginning June 16, participated with other Union troops in the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

. Engaged in the Battle of Hare House on June 16 and the fighting at

Fort Stedman The Battle of Fort Stedman, also known as the Battle of Hare's Hill, was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final weeks of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pr ...

against the second line of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, they also skirmished with the enemy three days later near Williams House. On July 27, 1864, they captured a Confederate artillery battery in the

First Battle of Deep Bottom The First Battle of Deep Bottom, also known as Darbytown, Strawberry Plains, New Market Road, or Gravel Hill, was fought July 27–29, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Siege of Petersburg of the American Civil ...

, fought in the Battle of the Crater (July 30), fought in the

Second Battle of Deep Bottom The Second Battle of Deep Bottom, also known as Fussell's Mill (particularly in the South), New Market Road, Bailey's Creek, Charles City Road, or White's Tavern was fought August 14–20, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, durin ...

(August 14–20), helped to destroy the

Weldon Railroad Weldon may refer to: Places In Canada: * Weldon, Saskatchewan In England: * Weldon, Northamptonshire * Weldon, Northumberland In the United States: * Weldon, Arkansas * Weldon, California * Weldon, Illinois * Weldon, Iowa * Weldon, North Caroli ...

(August 22), fought in the

Second Battle of Ream's Station The Second Battle of Ream's Station (also Reams or Reams's) was fought during the siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War on August 25, 1864, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. A Union force under Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock began destr ...

(August 25), and then skirmished off and on with the enemy while stationed in and around Forts Stedman, Rice and Morton during the months of September and October. On December 1, Harris and his fellow B Company soldiers were assigned with those from the 148th Pennsylvania's D, E, H, and I companies to garrison Fort Gregg. Five days later, on December 6, the U.S. Medal of Honor was presented to Harris personally by Major-General George Meade, commanding officer of the U.S. Army of the Potomac, during a formal ceremony in front of the 148th Pennsylvania and other Union troops near Petersburg, Virginia at the Peebles' House, which had been taken over by the Union for use as the headquarters of the U.S. Second Army Corps.

1865

After departing their winter quarters in early February 1865, Harris and his fellow 148th Pennsylvanians captured an enemy position near Tucker House on February 5 as part of the ongoing

Richmond-Petersburg Campaign The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

, engaged the enemy a mile outside of

Fort Cummings Fort Cummings is a former U. S. Army post located near Cooke's Springs, in Luna County, New Mexico. It is located 20 miles northeast of Deming, New Mexico. Cooke's Spring Cooke's Spring () was named for Philip St. George Cooke 2nd U.S. Dragoo ...

(March 25), supported their brigade's operations along the Boydton Plank Road (March 29–30), and then fought in the

Battle of White Oak Road The Battle of White Oak Road, also known as The Battle of Hatcher's Run, Gravelly Run, Boydton Plank Road, White Oak Ridge was fought on March 31, 1865, during the American Civil War at the end of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign and in the begi ...

at Gravelly Road near Five Forks on March 31, 1865. Also known as the Battle of Hatcher's Run, it was here that Harris was grievously wounded in action. Having sustained a gunshot wound to the chest which impacted his lungs,"George F. Harris" ic in U.S. Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War (Centre County, Pennsylvania, 1890). Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 1890. he was treated at a Union Army hospital before being transferred to the U.S. Veteran Reserve Corps (also known as the "invalid corps"). After a brief period of service with the VRC, Harris was then discharged honorably on May 11, 1865.

Post-war life

Following his honorable discharge from the military, Harris returned home to Pennsylvania. In 1871, he wed

Centre County Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lands ...

native Hannah Stratton (1835–1906). Childless for the duration of their marriage, the couple resided in

Milesburg, Pennsylvania Milesburg is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,123 at the 2010 census. History Milesburg, as well as nearby Miles Township, was named afte ...

, during the 1880s, 1890s and early part of the new century. By 1904, they were residing in Runville, Pennsylvania, near Bellefonte in Centre County. Preceded in death by his wife in 1906, Harris died in Bellefonte roughly fifteen years later at age 85, and was buried in that community's Union Cemetery. Although his original headstone was carved with an incorrect death year (1920), a newer, government-issued headstone was carved with the correct death date of January 30, 1921, which was documented in his U.S Civil War Pension file and the U.S. Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards maintained by the

U.S. National Archives The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

. The latter record system also documented the steady increase in his pension rate from $15 per month in 1907 to $72 per month at the time of his death.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Spotsylvania, Va., May 12, 1864. Entered service at: Bellefonte, Pa. Birth: Schuylkill, Pa. Date of issue: December 1, 1864. Citation:George W. Harris
, in "The Hallor of Valor Project", in ''Military Times''. Tysons, Virginia: Sightline Media Group, retrieved online September 11, 2018.

Capture of flag, wresting it from the color bearer and shooting an officer who attempted to regain it.

Notes

References

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External links

George W. Harris
(memorial and gravesite information). Salt Lake City, Utah: Find A Grave, retrieved online September 10, 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, George W. 1835 births 1921 deaths People from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Union Army soldiers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Burials in Pennsylvania