Richard H. Cosgriff, Sr., (December 15, 1845 – November 2, 1910) was a

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 ...

soldier in 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 a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the

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. An

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immigrant, his family eventually settled in Wisconsin, where he would spend most of the rest of his life. Enlisting in an

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

regiment, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

battle flag during an engagement in the last month of the war. After returning to Wisconsin, he worked as a businessman in the lumber and printing industries until his death at age 64.

Early years

Born in

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, Ireland, Cosgriff's family immigrated to the United States when he was three years old, in 1849. The family lived in

Dunkirk, New York Dunkirk is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. It was settled around 1805 and incorporated in 1880. The population was 12,743 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Dunkirk i ...

, for six years before moving to

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in 1855 and then to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

two years later. In Wisconsin, Cosgriff worked as a printer and a log rafter. In 1861, he rafted down the

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Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

, and enlisted in the Union Army on September 25. Exactly two months later, he was mustered into service as a

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with Company L of the

4th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry The 4th Iowa Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 4th Iowa Cavalry was organized at Camp Harlan in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, beginning in September 1861, and mustered in for ...

. He reenlisted for another term of service on December 21, 1863.

Military service

One week after the surrender of Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

at the

Battle of Appomattox Court House The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Rober ...

, which ended all major engagements of the war, Cosgriff's unit moved towards

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. Their intention was to capture the city's supply depots, naval yards, and weapons factories. On

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Sunday, April 16, 1865, the 4th Iowa Cavalry and other regiments attacked a bridge over the

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which led into Columbus. When the Union general,

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, called for cavalrymen to charge the

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and capture the soldiers guarding it, Cosgriff volunteered. He and the other volunteers rode past two lines of entrenchments and fought hand-to-hand with the bridge guard. During the struggle, Cosgriff knocked down a Confederate

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with the butt of his rifle, capturing both the flag and the bearer. The cavalrymen successfully subdued the bridge guard and captured two heavy guns. For these actions, Cosgriff was awarded the Medal of Honor two months later, on June 17. His official Medal of Honor citation reads: "Capture of flag in a personal encounter with its bearer." The flag, from an unknown regiment, is now held by the

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Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

Later life

With the war ended, Cosgriff was mustered out of the Army on August 8, 1865, in

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. Returning to Wisconsin, he worked as a farmer and founded a lumber business in

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. In 1871, he married Mary A. Coldthrust and moved to

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 14,778 in the 2021 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa Cou ...

; the couple later had five children. He farmed in

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for a few years but moved back to Wisconsin in 1887. Back in Chippewa Falls, he was involved in several business ventures, including a printing company. He died at age 64 and was buried at Hope Cemetery in Chippewa Falls.

Notes

References

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