Brevet Captain George Washington Roosevelt (February 14, 1843 – April 14, 1907), 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 heroism 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 th ...

Biography

George Washington Roosevelt was born in

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

, in 1843. He was the fourth son of James S Rosevelt and his wife Esther Vickery.

Civil War

Following the outbreak of the American Civil War, Roosevelt enlisted as a corporal in Company K of the

26th Pennsylvania Infantry The 26th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 26th Pennsylvania Infantry was organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 20, 1861 and mustered on M ...

on May 1, 1861, at age 17. He was promoted to sergeant on September 1, 1862. He had risen to first sergeant of Company K by the time 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 ...

in July, 1863 during which, he was severely wounded. As a result of this wound his left leg was amputated. He was honorably discharged from the Army at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on March 14, 1864. In recognition of his war service, Roosevelt received a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotion to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Later life

He married Ida Mae Goldberg (1855-1926) on 14 Mar 1874 at Washington, DC. Following the war, Roosevelt had a 30-year career as a diplomat with the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

. He was the U.S. Consular Agent in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

, from 1877 to 1878. He was then U.S. Consul in

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, from 1878 to 1879;

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

from 1879 to 1880;

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

from 1880 to 1881;

Bordeaux, France Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

, from 1881 to 1889 and

Brussels, Belgium Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, from 1889 to 1902. His final posting was as the U.S. Consul General in Brussels in 1906. Captain Roosevelt died in Brussels in 1907 at the age of 63. He is buried with his wife in the Oak Hill Cemetery in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In May 2003, Captain Roosevelt's Medal of Honor was put up for auction on

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...

. The seller was arrested in July 2003 and the medal was confiscated by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

alongside the medal awarded to Robert Blume. They were donated to the

Congressional Medal of Honor Society A congress is a formal meeting of the Representative democracy, representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political party, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle Eng ...

in May 2004.

Medal of Honor citation

''For extraordinary heroism while serving with Company K, 26th Pennsylvania Infantry. At Bull Run, Virginia, on 30 August 1862, First Sergeant Roosevelt recaptured the colors, which had been seized by the enemy. At Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on 2 July 1863, he captured a Confederate Color Bearer and color, during this heroic effort he was severely wounded.'' Date of Issue: July 2, 1887

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, George W. American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor George W. 1843 births 1907 deaths Union Army soldiers People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)

Biography

Civil War

Later life

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References