Joseph Kirby Corson (22 November 1836 – 24 July 1913) was an American soldier who fought in 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 ...

. Corson received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, 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 his action near Bristoe Station in Virginia on 14 October 1863. He was honored with the award on 13 May 1899.

Early life

Corson was born in Plymouth Meeting in Pennsylvania on 22 November 1836, the second of nine children of Hiram and Ann Jones Foulke Corson. His father, a doctor, was well off enough to provide a tutor for Corson's education before the latter became a student of the Treemount Seminary in nearby Norristown. He moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1856 to become an apprentice at a

drugstore A pharmacy (also called drugstore in American English or community pharmacy or chemist in Commonwealth English) is a premises which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacist oversees the fulfillment of m ...

while attending the

Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, from which he graduated with a PhG in 1858. Corson moved to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

to work with a pharmacist, but the business quickly failed and Corson returned to Norristown to become a partner in a cousin's lime business, and soon enrolled at the

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

American Civil War

The beginning of the

interrupted Corson's education as he enlisted in Company K of the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry in April 1861, and mustered out as a

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in July 1861. Returning to Penn late that year, he served as a medical cadet at the army hospital on Cherry and Broad Streets while studying at the school. He enlisted in the 6th Pennsylvania Reserves (35th Pennsylvania Volunteers) as an assistant surgeon in March 1863 after graduating with an MD degree, participating in the Battles of Gettysburg, Falling Waters,

Manassas Gap Manassas Gap is a wind gap of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the border of Fauquier County and Warren County in Virginia. At an elevation of 887 feet above sea level, it is the lowest crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state. The origins of ...

, Bristoe Station, Mine Run, Rappahannock Station, the

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...

, Spotsylvania, North Anna, and Bethesda Church. Brevetted major for distinguishing himself in the Wilderness, Corson mustered out again in June 1864. At Bristoe Station on 14 October, Corson and a hospital attendant rescued a severely wounded soldier left between the lines while under Confederate artillery fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on 13 May 1899. In November 1864, he became medical officer at Camp Discharge, used to muster out soldiers, in Philadelphia.

Later life

After the end of the war, Corson mustered out in May 1865 and returned to Plymouth Meeting to join his father's practice. Corson was appointed as assistant surgeon to the regular army in October 1867. He was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in November 1888, and retired in November 1897. He was a companion of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

. He died on 24 July 1913 and his remains are interred at the

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is in size, and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in nearby Philadelphia. ...

, Bryn Mawr section, Lot 98, in

Bala Cynwyd Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Rou ...

, Pennsylvania.

Medal of Honor citation

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Corson, Joseph K. 1836 births 1913 deaths People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery