William Laing Heermance (February 28, 1837 - February 25, 1903) 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. ...

. Heermance was born on February 28, 1837, and entered service at Kinderhook, New York. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism on April 30, 1863, while serving as a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

with Company C, 6th New York Cavalry Regiment, at

Chancellorsville, Virginia Chancellorsville is a historic site and unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, about ten miles west of Fredericksburg. The name of the locale derives from the mid-19th century inn operated by the family of George Chancellor at ...

. His Medal of Honor was issued on March 30, 1898. He died at the age of 65, on February 25, 1903, and was buried at the Oakland Cemetery in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

Medal of Honor citation

References

External links

: 1837 births 1903 deaths People from Kinderhook, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub