George Henry Stockman (3 July 1833 - 30 June 1912) was a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for gallantry during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He was awarded the medal on 9 July 1894 for actions performed at the

Siege 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 Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

on 22 May 1863.

Personal life

Stockman was born in Muenden,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on 3 July 1833. He died on 30 June 1912 and was buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala-Cynwyd,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Military service

Stockman enlisted in the Army as a first lieutenant on 1 June 1861 in

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Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and was assigned to G Company of the 6th Missouri Infantry. During the course of his enlistment, he was transferred to Company C of the same unit. On 22 May 1863, at the Siege of Vicksburg in

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, Stockman volunteered to participate in an extremely dangerous charge on

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

positions to the south of Vicksburg. Along with 150 other volunteers, whose job was to build a bridge over a ditch dug by the Confederates, Stockman held his ground under heavy gun and cannon fire from morning until nightfall in circumstances where 85 percent of the men were killed or seriously wounded. Stockman's Medal of Honor citation reads: Stockman was honorably discharged from the Army on 7 June 1864.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockman, George United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor 1833 births 1912 deaths