Henry Klein (October 4, 1841 – December 5, 1901)Henry Klein grave
at Woodlawn Cemetery (Syracuse, New York) 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 ...

soldier 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 ...

and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, 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 his actions at the

Battle of Sayler's Creek The Battle of Sailor's Creek was fought on April 6, 1865, near Farmville, Virginia, as part of the Appomattox Campaign, near the end of the American Civil War. It was the last major engagement between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, c ...

. Born in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Klein immigrated to the United States in 1853. He settled in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

, and worked in the clothing business. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted 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 the 101st Regiment and later served in Company E of the 40th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Klein's brother, Philip, also served in the war, with the 149th New York Infantry. At some point during his military service Henry Klein was captured and held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

by the Confederates, although the details of this event are unknown. In one battle, after General

Gustavus Sniper Gustavus Sniper (June 11, 1836 – March 29, 1894) was a Grand Duchy of Baden-born Union (American Civil War), Union Brevet (military)#American Civil War, brevet brigadier general during the period of the American Civil War. He received his ap ...

was wounded, Klein caught the general's horse and helped him dismount. At the Battle of Sayler's Creek,

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 April 6, 1865, his company was ordered to attack a Confederate position. Under heavy canister and

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

fire, Klein rushed ahead of the attack, grabbed a Confederate banner from the flag bearer's hands, and returned safely back to Union lines. For this act, he was commended and granted a

furlough A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...

. On his way home to Syracuse, Klein stopped 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, ...

, for a few days. While he was in the city, 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 thro ...

was

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

. Klein stood guard outside the house next to

Ford's Theatre Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. The theater is infamous for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater box ...

where Lincoln lay dying, and after the President's death he viewed the body as it lay in state at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. One month after Lincoln's assassination, on May 10, 1865, Klein was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Sayler's Creek. The official citation, which was mistakenly recorded under the name "Harry Kline", reads simply "Capture of battle flag." Klein was promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

before leaving the Army, and then returned to Syracuse where he resumed working in the clothing business. He was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and was active in veterans' affairs. Klein died at age 60 and was buried in Syracuse's Woodlawn Cemetery , on the same lot as his Civil War commander, General Gustavus Sniper.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Henry 1841 births 1901 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients German-born Medal of Honor recipients Union Army soldiers Emigrants from the German Confederation to the United States Military personnel from Syracuse, New York American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Syracuse, New York) New York (state) Republicans

See also

References