John Stafford Durham (a.k.a. Mark Cromwell, June 8, 1843 – January 12, 1918) served 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 ...

. He 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 his actions during the

Battle of Perryville The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the A ...

Biography

Durham was born on June 8, 1843, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the son of Amos H. Durham and Mary Ann née Laken. He ran away from home at age seven and was adopted by a showman, who changed his name to ''Mark Cromwell''. Durham's official residence was

Malone, Wisconsin __NOTOC__ Malone is an unincorporated community located in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin near the Sheboygan River and Mt. Calvary, in the towns of Marshfield, and Taycheedah. Malone is located in The Holyland region of Wisconsin. It is home to ...

when he joined the Union Army. He joined the 1st Wisconsin Infantry in August 1861, and mustered out in October 1864. During the

he took over as the flag bearer for his regiment when the color sergeant was shot. He moved forward with the flag until he was ordered to stop midway by his commanding officer. Durham was admitted to the Soldiers' Home in

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...

in 1902; he died there on January 12, 1918 and was buried at

Leavenworth National Cemetery Leavenworth National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas. It occupies of land. As of the end of 2005 it had 30,875 interments. It is sometimes locally referred to as "Old Soldiers' Home". ...

in Leavenworth. His grave can be found in section 33, row 10, grave 18.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company F, 1st Wisconsin Infantry. Place and date: At Perryville, Ky., 8 October 1862. Entered service at: Malone, Fond du Lac County, Wis. Born: 1843, New York, N.Y. Date of issue: 20 November 1896. Citation:

For extraordinary heroism on 8 October 1862, while serving with Company F, 1st Wisconsin Infantry, in action at Perryville, Kentucky. Sergeant Durham seized the flag of his regiment when the color sergeant was shot and advanced with the flag midway between the lines, amid a shower of shot, shell, and bullets, until stopped by his commanding officer.

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, John 1843 births 1918 deaths Military personnel from New York City People from Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Union Army soldiers Military personnel from Wisconsin American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links