Misplaced Pages

Harris S. Hawthorne

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient
Harris Smith Hawthorne
Hawthorne in c. 1898
Born(1832-02-29)February 29, 1832
Salem, New York
DiedMarch 23, 1911(1911-03-23) (aged 79)
Hoosick Falls, New York
BuriedMaple Grove Cemetery, Hoosick, New York
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
RankCorporal
UnitNew York (state) Company F, 121st New York Volunteer Infantry
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
Battle of Sailor's Creek
Awards Medal of Honor

Harris Smith Hawthorne (February 29, 1832 – March 23, 1911) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism shown on April 6, 1865, during the Battle of Sailor's Creek, where he captured Robert E. Lee's son, George Washington Custis Lee, while serving as a corporal with Company F, 121st New York Volunteer Infantry. His Medal of Honor was awarded on December 29, 1894.

A competing claim for the capture of Lee was made in 1897 by David Dunnels White, a soldier of the 37th Massachusetts Infantry Volunteers. The claim was turned down by the U.S Army. In 2011, White's descendants submitted another claim which was also rejected. Their theory seems to be that Lee escaped after his initial detainment by White and was recaptured by Hawthorne.

Hawthorne died at the age of 79 on March 23, 1911, and was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery, Hoosick, New York.

Medal of Honor citation

Capture of Confederate Maj. Gen. George Washington Custis Lee

See also

Notes

  1. Dyer (1908), p. 541.
  2. ^ CMOHS (2014).
  3. War Department (1880), p. 171.

References

External links

American Civil War
Origins
Slavery
Abolitionism
  • Combatants
  • Theaters
  • Campaigns
  • Battles
  • States
Combatants
Union
Confederacy
Theaters
Major campaigns
Major battles
Involvement
States and
territories
Cities
Leaders
Confederate
Military
Civilian
Union
Military
Civilian
Aftermath
Constitution
Reconstruction
Post-
Reconstruction
Monuments
and memorials
Union
Confederate
Cemeteries
Veterans
  • Related topics
Military
Political
Music
By ethnicity
Other topics
Related
Portals:
Stub icon

This article about a person of the American Civil War is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: