Samuel Slavens ( – June 18, 1862) was a participant in the Andrew's Raid and a recipient of 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. ...

Biography

Slavens' birth is often disputed, with most sources listing it as 1830 or 1831. He was born in Pike County, Ohio. He served as a private in Company E of the

33rd Ohio Infantry The 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Portsmouth, Ohio, from August 5 through September 13, 1861. It was mustered in fo ...

. In April 1862, he was one of 22 Union soldiers who took part in the

Great Locomotive Chase The Great Locomotive Chase (also known as Andrews' Raid or the Mitchel Raid) was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army, led by civilian scout James J. And ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

under the direction of civilian scout

James J. Andrews James J. Andrews (c. 1829 – June 7, 1862) was a Kentucky civilian who worked for the Union Army during the early years of the American Civil War. He led a daring raid behind enemy lines on the Western and Atlantic Railroad, known as the ...

. Slavens was one of eight raiders including Andrews to be executed for spying. Samuel Slavens was hanged on June 18, 1862, in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. He was buried in Atlanta and was later reburied in

Chattanooga National Cemetery Chattanooga National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as o ...

Medal of Honor citation

On July 28, 1883, Slavens was posthumously issued the Medal of Honor for being one of 22 men (including two civilians) who, by direction of General Mitchell (or Buell), penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty,

, in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta.

References

1830s births 1862 deaths American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor American people convicted of spying for the United States by the Confederate States of America Union Army soldiers People from Pike County, Ohio United States Army personnel who were court-martialed Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War People executed by the Confederate States of America by hanging Executed military personnel Executed spies {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub