Thomas Wilson Bradley (April 6, 1844 – May 30, 1920) was a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, 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 ...

Biography

Born in

Yorkshire, England Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the city of York. The so ...

, Bradley immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1846 with his parents, who settled in

Walden, New York Walden is the largest of three Administrative divisions of New York#Village, villages of the town of Montgomery, New York, Montgomery in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 6,818 at the 2020 census. It has the ZIP Code 125 ...

. He attended school until nine years of age, and then began working for his family's business, the New York Knife Company, as a "shop boy." Bradley enlisted in the Army from Walden in August 1862, advanced to become 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 ...

, and later received a commission. After the

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. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

, he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and became the aide-de-camp to Major General

Gershom Mott Gershom Mott (April 7, 1822 – November 29, 1884) was a United States Army officer and a General in the Union Army, a commander in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Early life General Mott was born in Lamberton, New Jersey, ...

, 3rd Division,

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

. He later received a brevet promotion 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 ...

of Volunteers. Bradley was wounded at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...

, and the

Battle of Boydton Plank Road The Battle of Boydton Plank Road (also known as Burgess Mill or First Hatcher's Run), fought on October 27–28, 1864, followed the Union Army's successful Battle of Peebles's Farm in the siege of Petersburg during the American Civil Wa ...

, and was mustered out with his regiment in June 1865.Regimental roster
/ref> After the war Bradley was active in 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 ...

and other veterans organizations and reunion societies. Bradley also continued his military service as assistant inspector general of the

New York National Guard New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

with the rank of lieutenant colonel, later receiving promotion to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. Bradley was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

(Orange Co., 1st D.) in

1876 Events January * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. *January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts. February * Febr ...

; and a delegate to the

1892 In Samoa, this was the only leap year spanned to 367 days as July 4 repeated. This means that the International Date Line was drawn from the east of the country to go west. Events January * January 1 – Ellis Island begins processing imm ...

1896 Events January * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports Wilhelm Röntgen's dis ...

and

1900 Republican National Convention The 1900 Republican National Convention was held June 19 to June 21 in the Exposition Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Exposition Auditorium was located south of the University of Pennsylvania, and the later Convention Hall was co ...

s. Bradley was elected as a Republican to the 58th,

59th The 59th Quartermaster Company is a bulk petroleum company designed to provide semi-portable storage for of fuel and to provide distribution of fuel to military units within a specified geographic area while deployed overseas. Its secondary missi ...

, 60th, 61st and

62nd United States Congress The 62nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1911, t ...

, holding office from March 4, 1903, to March 4, 1913. Bradley was a member of the board of directors, vice president and president of the Walden National Bank. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Columbus Trust Company and the Walden Savings Bank. Bradley was employed by the New York Knife Company for more than 50 years, and rose through the company's ranks to become president and treasurer. Bradley died in

, at age 76 and was interred there in Wallkill Valley Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

He received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 3, 1863, at the

. Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company H, 124th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Place and date: At Chancellorsville, Va., May 3, 1863. Entered service at: Walden, N.Y. Born: April 6, 1844, England. Date of issue: June 10, 1896. Citation:

Volunteered in response to a call and alone, in the face of a heavy fire of musketry and canister, went and procured ammunition for the use of his comrades.

Notes

References

Retrieved on 2007-11-07

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Thomas W 1844 births 1920 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients English emigrants to the United States English-born Medal of Honor recipients People from Walden, New York Union army officers Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References

External links