Samuel Cole Wright (September 29, 1842 – July 7, 1906) was 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 the
Union Army 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 ...
.
Wright served with the
29th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 29th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army of the United States during the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in December 1861 when three new companies were attached to a battalion o ...
, participated in 30 battles, was wounded five times and twice reported dead. For his actions during the
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...
he received 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 ...
on January 29, 1896.
[Beyer, 79-80.]
Civil War service
Wright initially enlisted as a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
in the
3rd Massachusetts Militia in May 1861 and was transferred to the 29th Massachusetts Infantry when that
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation.
In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
was formed in December 1861. He participated with the 29th Massachusetts in the
Peninsular Campaign
The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...
during which he was wounded in the head by a shell fragment at the
Battle of White Oak Swamp
The Battle of White Oak Swamp took place on June 30, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Seven Days Battles (Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. As the Union Army of the Potomac retreated southeast toward the James River, ...
on June 30, 1862.
[Nason, 53.][Downey, "Private Samuel Cole Wright."]
During the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, the 29th Massachusetts served with the
Irish Brigade. As the brigade advanced on the
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 ...
position at the so-called "Bloody Lane," their progress was impeded by a split rail fence.
Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher
Thomas Francis Meagher ( ; 3 August 18231 July 1867) was an Irish nationalism, Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848, Rebellion of 1848. After being convicted of sedition, he was first sent ...
, commanding the Irish Brigade, called for volunteers to tear down the fence.
[
Years later, Wright described the episode as follows:
]Some 200 yards in advance of our position, which we were holding at a terrible cost, was a fence built high and strong. The troops in advance had tried to scale the fence and reform under that hell of fire. They were actually torn in shreds and wedged into the fence. The cry came to us for volunteers to pull down the fence. Instantly there sprang from the long line, fast being shortened as the ranks closed up over the dead, seventy-six volunteers. We ran straight for the fence amid a hail of iron and lead, the dead falling all about us, but to reach the fence was our only thought. A part of the force reached it, and, as one would grasp a rail it would be sent flying out of his hands by rifle-shots. The fence leveled, we made the attempt to return, and it was as hot for us on the retreat, as it had been on the advance. Few escaped death or wounds. I had almost regained my regiment, when I was hit. The line then successfully pressed on, and the 'Sunken Road,' or ' Bloody Lane,' as it is now known, was within our lines.
Wright was shot in the left knee during this engagement but refused to be removed from the field. For his actions during the Battle of Antietam, Wright was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1896.[
In October 1863, Wright was run down by a mule team but recovered from his wounds. He was shot in the left arm during the ]Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses ...
on June 2, 1864. During the Battle of the Crater
The Battle of the Crater took place during the American Civil War, part of the Siege of Petersburg. It occurred on Saturday, July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union ...
on July 30, 1864, he was shot through the right eye and left for dead. He recovered, however, and the bullet was removed from the back of his head. He kept the bullet as a reminder of his brush with death.[
Wright received two battlefield promotions and was mustered out with the rank of sergeant on February 3, 1865.][
]
Post-war career
After the war, Wright became a storekeeper in Plympton, Massachusetts and also worked in the United States Customs office in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
.[ Active with various veterans organizations, Wright was designated a national color bearer by the Union Veterans Union and served on the command staff of the Massachusetts department of the ]Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...
.[ He also served on the executive committee of the 29th Massachusetts Regimental Association and worked through that organization to preserve portraits and photographs of members of the regiment.
He died at his home in Plympton on July 7, 1906.]
See also
* List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients
*Massachusetts in the American Civil War
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts played a significant role in national events prior to and during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Massachusetts Republicans dominated the early antislavery movement during the 1830s, motivating activists ac ...
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Samuel Cole
1842 births
1906 deaths
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
United States Army soldiers
Union army soldiers
People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
People from Plympton, Massachusetts
Grand Army of the Republic officials