David Ayers (Medal of Honor)

David Ayers
Born	April 29, 1841(1841-04-29) Kalida, Ohio
Died	December 11, 1916(1916-12-11) (aged 75) Chicago, Illinois
Place of burial	Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	Company A, 57th Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War  • Siege of Vicksburg
Awards	Medal of Honor

David Ayers (April 4, 1841 – December 11, 1916) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.

Union assault

On May 22, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi. The plan called for a storming party of volunteers to build a bridge across a moat and plant scaling ladders against the enemy embankment in advance of the main attack. The volunteers knew the odds were against survival and the mission was called, in nineteenth century vernacular, a "forlorn hope". Only single men were accepted as volunteers and even then, twice as many men as needed came forward and were turned away. The assault began in the early morning following a naval bombardment. The Union soldiers came under enemy fire immediately and were pinned down in the ditch they were to cross. Despite repeated attacks by the main Union body, the men of the forlorn hope were unable to retreat until nightfall. Of the 150 men in the storming party, nearly half were killed. Seventy-nine of the survivors were awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor citation

For gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863.

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Navy portal
	American Civil War portal

• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Second Battle of Fort Fisher

References

• "Civil War (A-L), Ayers, David entry". Medal of Honor recipients. United States Army Center of Military History. August 6, 2009. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwaral.html. Retrieved July 13, 2010. 
• "David Ayers". Hall of Valor. Military Times. http://www.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=585. Retrieved June 24, 2010. 
• "David Ayers". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8643249. Retrieved June 24, 2010. 
• "A Forlorn Hope". http://oregonmag.com/CivilWarFletcher1108.html. Retrieved September 29, 2010. 
• "Vicksburg Medal of Honor recipients". http://www.nps.gov/vick/historyculture/vicksburg-medal-of-honor-recipients.htm. Retrieved September 29, 2010. 

Persondata
Name	Ayers, David
Alternative names
Short description	Union Army Medal of Honor recipient
Date of birth	April 4, 1841
Place of birth	Kalida, Ohio
Date of death	December 11, 1916
Place of death	Chicago, Illinois