Francis Jefferson Coates (August 24, 1843 – January 27, 1880) was a soldier in 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 (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

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 one of 64 men who 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 during 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 ...

Biography

Coates was born 24 August 1843 in

Grant County, Wisconsin Grant County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 51,938. Its county seat is Lancaster, Wisconsin, Lancaster. The county is named after t ...

to William Coates and Cynthia Cain. Although born in Grant County his official residence was listed as Boscobel, Wisconsin.Hall of Valor
/ref> Coates joined the

on 29 August 1861 (a few days after his 18th birthday), and served with the 7th Wisconsin Infantry. He was wounded while fighting in the Battle of South Mountain and during the

where he received the

and a brevet 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 ...

for courage in battle. During the Battle of Gettysburg he was shot in the face, causing him to lose both of his eyes. He was mustered out for disability on September 1, 1864 at the end of his term of service. Despite having become completely blind, Coates learned how to make brooms after the war and married Rachael Sarah Drew April 21, 1867. Together they had five children and sometime between 1870 and 1873, they moved to

Dorchester, Nebraska Dorchester is a village in Saline County, Nebraska, United States. It is thirty-eight miles southwest from the Lincoln, Nebraska metropolitan area. The population was 596 at the 2020 census. History Dorchester was platted in 1870 when the Burlin ...

. He died of pneumonia in Dorchester, Nebraska January 27, 1880 and is buried in Dorchester Cemetery in Dorchester.

Legacy

The Jefferson Coates County Campus for the Missouri School for the Blind was named after Coates.

Medal of Honor citation

Citation:

For extraordinary heroism on 1 July 1863, while serving with Company H, 7th Wisconsin Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for unsurpassed courage in battle, where he had both eyes shot out.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coates, Jefferson 1843 births 1880 deaths People from Saline County, Nebraska People from Boscobel, Wisconsin Union Army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War American blind people Deaths from pneumonia in Nebraska

Biography

Legacy

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links