John C. Black

Infobox Military Person
name=John Charles Black
born= Birth date|1839|1|27
died= Death date and age|1915|8|17|1839|1|27
placeofburial=


caption=John C. Black
nickname=
placeofbirth=Lexington, Mississippi
placeofdeath=
allegiance=United States of America
branch=Union Army
serviceyears=
rank= Brevetted Brigadier General
unit= 11th Indiana Volunteers
commands=
battles=
awards=Medal of Honor
relations=
laterwork=

John Charles Black (27 January 1839–17 August 1915) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman and received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.

Biography

He was born in Lexington, Mississippi and moved to Danville, Illinois in 1847. His father was a minister of the Presbyterian Church. Black attended Wabash College until the outbreak of the Civil War.

He is Buried in Spring Hill Cemetery and Mausoleum, Danville Illinois. His grave can be found in block 12, lot 54.findagrave|5993517 Retrieved on 2007-11-07]

War service

On 14 April 1861, Black (like his brother, William P. Black) entered the Union Army as a private in the 11th Indiana Volunteers.

After three months of service, the brothers organized Company "K" of the 37th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. By the time of the Battle of Prairie Grove on 7 December 1862, John Black had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was commander of the 37th Illinois regiment. Black led his regiment against a fortified Confederate position during the battle. The unit suffered heavy casualties and was eventually forced to retreat. Black himself was seriously wounded. [cite book |last = Beyer |first = W. F. |coauthors = O. F. Keydel |title = Deeds of Valor: How America's Civil War Heroes Won the Congressional Medal of Honor |publisher = Smithmark Publishers |year = 2000 |location = New York, New York |pages = 99-100 |id = ISBN 0-7651-1769-X] An 1896 review of numerous actions during the war resulted in John Black being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Prairie Grove. Black's brother William also received the medal, making them the first of 5 pairs of brothers to both receive the Medal of Honor as of 2005.

Black had risen in four steps to full colonel by the storming on 9 April 1865, of Fort Blakeley, for which he was brevetted Brigadier General. He served in the military through 15 August 1865.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 37th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Prairie Grove, Ark., 7 December 1862. Entered service at: Danville, III. Born: 27 January 1839, Lexington, Holmes County, Miss. Date of issue: 31 October 1893.

Citation:

:Gallantly charged the position of the enemy at the head of his regiment, after 2 other regiments had been repulsed and driven down the hill, and captured a battery; was severely wounded. [cite web
url=http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/civwaral.html
title=Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients - (A-L)
publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History
accessdate=2006-09-22
date=2005-04-27]

Post-war career

Black practiced law and became the United States District Attorney at Chicago. Running as a Democrat, he was elected to the Fifty-third United States Congress, and served from 1893 to 1895.

In 1903/04, he was honored with the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the veterans organization for Civil War veterans of the Union Army. Black served as president of the United States Civil Service Commission from 1904 to 1913.

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*

Notes

References

*findagrave|5993517 Retrieved on 2007-11-07
*congbio|B000504 Retrieved on 2007-11-07

Persondata
NAME= Black, John C.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=