Robert A. Gray (September 21, 1834 - November 22, 1906) 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 ...

who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, 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. ...

. Gray was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania on September 21, 1834, and entered service at

Groton, Connecticut Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is ...

. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown on May 16, 1864, while serving as a

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

with Company C,

21st Connecticut Infantry Regiment The 21st Connecticut Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 21st Connecticut Infantry Regiment was organized at Norwich, Connecticut, on September 20, 1862, to serve for ...

, at

Drewry's Bluff Drewry's Bluff is located in northeastern Chesterfield County, Virginia, in the United States. It was the site of Confederate Fort Darling during the American Civil War. It was named for a local landowner, Confederate Captain Augustus H. Drewry, w ...

, Virginia. His Medal of Honor was issued on July 13, 1897. He died at the age of 72, on November 22, 1906, and was buried at the Colonel Ledyard Cemetery in

Medal of Honor citation

References

External links

*.. 1834 births 1906 deaths Military personnel from Philadelphia Union Army soldiers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from Connecticut {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub