James N. Strong (28 February 1818 - 17 December 1900) was a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the American Civil War. Strong was awarded the medal on 25 November 1893 for actions performed at the

Battle of Port Hudson The siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, (May 22 – July 9, 1863) was the final engagement in the Union (American Civil War), Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi River in the American Civil War. While Major General#United States, Union Gen ...

in Louisiana on 27 May 1863.

Personal life

Strong was born on 28 February 1818 in

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

Berkshire County Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

, Massachusetts to parents Noble Strong and Anna King Strong, one of four children. He married Clarissa Wells Strong in 1846 and fathered one child. He was a farmer by trade. He died in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa on 17 December 1900 and is buried in Old Fairfield Cemetery in Fairfield.

Military service

Strong enlisted in the Army as a

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

on 11 September 1862 in Pittsfield. He was listed as being 42 years old. He was mustered into Company C of the 49th Massachusetts Infantry on 19 September 1862. On 27 May 1863, Strong volunteered to assault the Confederate works at Port Hudson before the general attack. His Medal of Honor citation reads: Strong was injured during this assault. He was promoted to second lieutenant on 24 June 1863 but was mustered out of the Army on 1 September 1863 in Pittsfield.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, James 1818 births 1900 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Pittsfield, Massachusetts American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor