Richard Conner (December 23, 1843–November 4, 1923) was an

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 ...

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 who received 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 bravery in action.

Biography

A 17-year-old resident of

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a city in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,743. Burlington was first incorporated on October 24, 1693, and was r ...

when he enlisted in the

6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry The 6th New Jersey Infantry Regiment (also called the "6th New Jersey Volunteers") was regiment of infantry from New Jersey that served in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Service The 6th New Jersey Infantry Regiment was re ...

on August 7, 1861, he was mustered in for three years of service as a Private in Company F on August 26, 1861. During his first year of enlistment his regiment fought in the 1862 Peninsular Campaign (most notably in the May 1862

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitc ...

and the Battle of Fair Oaks), and in the August 29, 1862

Battle of Second Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederat ...

. It was during that engagement that he performed his act of bravery that he was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor for. He was promoted to Corporal on September 10, 1862, and to Sergeant on February 4, 1863. He served with the regiment through its participation in the 1863

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

(where he was wounded), the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

and the Mine Run Campaign. With less than a year left of his initial term of service, he re-enlisted early on February 18, 1864. When the original enlistments of the 6th New Jersey expired by law in September 1864, new recruits and re-enlistees of the regiment were folded into the 8th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. Sergeant Conner was transferred to the 8th New Jersey's Company E, with whom he served until the end of the Civil War in May 1865. He was mustered out of service on July 17, 1865. After the war he moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and was a resident of that city when he was awarded the Medal of Honor on September 17, 1897, which recognized his act of bravery 35 years later. He died in

, and was buried there in North Cedar Hill Cemetery in Section W3, Lot 28. His grave is marked by an upright government-issue Medal of Honor marker, which was erected in 2000, seventy-six years after his death.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization. Private, Company F, 6th New Jersey Infantry. Place and date: At Bull Run, Va., August 30, 1862. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: September 17, 1897. Citation:

The flag of his regiment having been abandoned during retreat, he voluntarily returned with a single companion under a heavy fire and secured and brought off the flag, his companion being killed.

References

*Beyer, W.F., and Keydel, O.F., "''Deeds of Valor: How America's Civil War Heroes Won the Congressional Medal of Honor''", 1901. Republished, 2000, Smithmark Publishers. *Bilby, Joseph G. and Goble, William C., "''Remember You Are Jerseymen: A Military History of Jersey's Troops in the Civil War''", Longstreet House, Hightstown, June 1998. . *Lang, George, Collins, Raymond L., and White, Gerald, ''Medal of Honor recipients 1863-1994'', 1995 *Stryker, William S., "''Record of Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Civil War 1861-1865''", Trenton, New Jersey, 1876.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conner, Richard 1843 births 1924 deaths People of New Jersey in the American Civil War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Union Army soldiers American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links