William Steinmetz (September 2, 1847, in
Newport, Kentucky
Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers in Campbell County, Kentucky, Campbell County, Kentucky. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 United ...
– June 10, 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 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 America's highest military 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. ...
for his actions at the
Battle of Vicksburg
The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...
,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.
Biography
William Steinmetz was born in
Newport, Kentucky
Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers in Campbell County, Kentucky, Campbell County, Kentucky. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 United ...
, on September 2, 1847. He was a
Corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
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 ...
. He entered service at
Sunman, Indiana
Sunman is a town in Adams Township, Ripley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,049 at the 2010 census.
History
A post office has been in operation at Sunman since 1833. John Sunman, an early postmaster, gave the place h ...
, and he served in the
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 ...
in Company G,
83rd Indiana Infantry. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863, at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His citation reads "Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."
The Vicksburg campaign was waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. It included battles in west-central Mississippi at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, Big Black River and numerous smaller battle fields. On the morning of May 22, General Grant launched what he hoped would be a crushing assault against Vicksburg. In the fighting that followed, the Union Infantry was repulsed and thrown back along a three-mile front. The Union Army suffered more than 3,000 casualties, and 97 Union soldiers earned Medals of Honor (the second largest single-day total in history.) Private William Steinmetz was one of eighty soldiers cited simply for "Gallantry in the charge of the 'volunteer storming party,' seemingly innocuous wording that actually denotes the fact that Private Steinmetz was at the head of his attacking force where the enemy fire was hottest and the danger the greatest. Steinmetz was one of ten 83rd Indiana soldiers to be awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Civil War (the others being Private
Clinton L. Armstrong, Private
Thomas A. Blasdel, Private
Emmer Bowen, Private
William W. Chisman, Private
John W. Conaway, Private
Joseph Frantz, Private
David H. Helms, Private
Jacob H. Overturf, Private
Reuben Smalley, and Private
Frank Stolz).
Following the failed assault on May 22, a forty-seven-day siege was laid against the city, which finally surrendered to Union forces on July 4.
He died on June 10, 1903, and is buried in
Wesleyan Cemetery in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
.
Medal of Honor citation
;Rank and Organization
:Private, Company G, 83d Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At Vicksburg, Miss., May 22, 1863. Entered service at: Sunmans, Ind. Birth: Newport, Ky. Date of issue: July 12, 1894.
;Citation
:Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."
See also
*
List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: Q–S
*
Battle of Vicksburg
The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...
*
83rd Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry
Notes
References
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External links
A Forlorn Hope
1847 births
1903 deaths
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
People of Indiana in the American Civil War
People from Newport, Kentucky
Union Army soldiers
Burials at Wesleyan Cemetery, Cincinnati
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
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