John J. Toffey
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John James Toffey (June 1, 1844 – March 13, 1911) was a United States
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 ...
officer 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 ...
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. ...
.


Civil War

Serving first 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 Company C, 21st New Jersey Volunteer Infantry (a nine-month service regiment) from August 28, 1862 to June 19, 1863, he was commissioned as a
First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
in Company F, 33rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry on August 23, 1863, and was mustered into the unit on August 29, 1863. He participated in the November 23, 1863
Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division of ...
, at
Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
, and it was there that he performed the act of bravery that garnered him the Medal of Honor. His wounds forced his discharge from the 33rd New Jersey on June 2, 1864, and he was appointed into the
Veteran Reserve Corps The Veteran Reserve Corps (originally the Invalid Corps) was a military reserve organization created within the Union Army during the American Civil War to allow partially disabled or otherwise infirm soldiers (or former soldiers) to perform lig ...
. He served in the VRC as a lieutenant until June 1866. While still in service, he was an eyewitness to Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theater, participated in the search for the conspirators, testified at their trial, and witnessed their subsequent execution. After the war, he became a Companion of the New York Commandery of the
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...
. He received his medal on September 10, 1897.


Post-War career

After the war he went on to have a life of extensive public service in
Hudson County, New Jersey Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in t ...
. He served two terms as
Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...
sheriff, served as state treasurer of
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
from 1875 to 1891, as an
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
of
Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New Jersey State Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the S ...
. He died in
Pawling, New York Pawling may refer to: *Pawling (town), New York, in Dutchess County **Pawling (village), New York, in the town of Pawling ***Pawling (Metro-North station), train station for the village **Pawling Nature Reserve, in the northern section of the to ...
, the town of his birth, and was buried in the Pawling Cemetery, near the grave of Civil War Naval hero Rear Admiral
John Lorimer Worden John Lorimer Worden (March 12, 1818 – October 19, 1897) was a U.S. Navy officer in the American Civil War, who took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first-ever engagement between ironclad steamships at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 9 M ...
, his uncle by marriage of Worden to his father's sister Olive. His grave was marked with a Medal of Honor headstone in 2004, 93 years after his death.


Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company G, 33d New Jersey Infantry. Place and date. At Chattanooga, Tenn., November 23, 1863. Entered service at: Hudson, N.J. Birth: Duchess, N.Y. Date of issue: September 10, 1897. Citation:
Although excused from duty on account of sickness, went to the front in command of a storming party and with conspicuous gallantry participated in the assault of Missionary Ridge; was here wounded and permanently disabled.


See also

* List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: T–Z


Notes


References

* *Beyer, W.F., and Keydel, O.F., "''Deeds of Valor: How America's Civil War Heroes Won the Congressional Medal of Honor''", 1901. Republished, 2000, Smithmark Publishers. *Bilby, Joseph G. and Goble, William C., "''Remember You Are Jerseymen: A Military History of Jersey's Troops in the Civil War''", Longstreet House, Hightstown, June 1998. . *Lang, George, Collins, Raymond L., and White, Gerald, ''Medal of Honor recipients 1863-1994'', 1995 *Kauffman, Michael W., "''American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln conspiracies''", 2004 *Stryker, William S., "''Record of Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Civil War 1861-1865''", Trenton, New Jersey, 1876. {{DEFAULTSORT:Toffey, John J. 1844 births 1911 deaths People of New Jersey in the American Civil War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Union Army officers American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor