Richard Enderlin (January 11, 1843 – February 11, 1930) was a musician and
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
soldier who received a
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 the heroism he displayed when fighting in 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 ...
in 1863.
Gettysburg
Enderlin was born in the
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.
It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...
and grew up in
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...
. He enlisted in the Army in November 1861. Enderlin thought his unit was not directly engaged, so the bugler voluntarily joined the defense of
Cemetery Ridge
Cemetery Ridge is a geographic feature in Gettysburg National Military Park, south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that figured prominently in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to July 3, 1863. It formed a primary defensive position for the ...
. On July 2, during combat, George Nixon III (the great-grandfather of American President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
) was mortally wounded and was carried out of harm's way by Enderlin. For this action, he was promoted to sergeant the next day, and received the Medal of Honor on September 11, 1897.
Enderlin was later wounded in his right foot at the
Battle of Dallas
The Battle of Dallas (May 28, 1864) was an engagement during the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. The Union army of William Tecumseh Sherman and the Confederate army led by Joseph E. Johnston fought a series of battles between May 25 ...
, and served in 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 ...
until his discharge in May 1865.
Gettysburg Medal of Honor recipients
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Enderlin is buried at Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe
Grandview Cemetery is a cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio.
About
Grandview Cemetery (originally spelled Grand View as two words) was established around 1841.[Ross County, Ohio
Ross County is a county in the Appalachian region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 77,093. Its county seat is Chillicothe, the first and third capital of Ohio. Established on August 20, 1798, the ...]
, US.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Musician, Company B, 73d Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1-July 3, 1863. Entered service at: Chillicothe, Ohio. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: September 11, 1897.
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Musician Richard Enderlin, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism from 1 to 3 July 1863, while serving with Company B, 73d Ohio Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Musician Enderlin voluntarily took a rifle and served as a soldier in the ranks during the first and second days of the battle. Voluntarily and at his own imminent peril went into the enemy's lines at night and, under a sharp fire, rescued a wounded comrade.
See also
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Battle of Gettysburg
The Gettysburg Campaign was a campaign of the American Civil War in 1863. The Union and Confederate forces fought between June 3 and July 24 in southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, and northern Virginia. The main and namesake battle of the campaign ...
* List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
Notes
References
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* Hurst, Samuel H. ''Journal-History of the Seventy-Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry'' (Chillicothe, OH: S. H. Hurst), 1866.
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External links
Ohio in the Civil War: 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry by Larry Stevens
National flag of the 73rd Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry
73rd Ohio Infantry monument at Gettysburg
1843 births
1930 deaths
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
Immigrants to the United States
United States Army soldiers
People of Ohio in the American Civil War
People from Chillicothe, Ohio
Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Baden
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
Military personnel from Baden-Württemberg
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