Bruce Anderson (Medal of Honor)

Infobox Military Person
name=Bruce Anderson
born= Birth date|1845|6|19
died= Death date and age|1922|8|22|1845|6|19
placeofbirth=Mexico City, MexicoAnderson's Medal of Honor citation incorrectly records his place of birth as Mexico, New York.]
placeofdeath=Albany, New York
placeofburial= Green Hill Cemetery Amsterdam, New York


caption= Bruce Anderson, Medal of Honor recipient
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America Union
branch= United States Army Union Army
serviceyears=from 1864
rank= Private
commands=
unit=142nd New York Infantry
battles=American Civil War *Second Battle of Fort Fisher
awards=Medal of Honor
laterwork=

Bruce Anderson (June 19, 1845–August 22, 1922) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.

Biography

Anderson was born in Mexico (town), New York but by the beginning of the Civil War was working as a farmer in New York. He enlisted from SchenectadyAnderson's Medal of Honor citation incorrectly records his place of enlistment as Ephratah, New York.] on August 31, 1864 as a private into Company K of the 142nd New York Infantry.Hanna, 14]

On January 15, 1865, Anderson participated in the Union's second attack on Fort Fisher in North Carolina. He and twelve other men answered a call for volunteers to advance ahead of the main attack and cut down the palisade which blocked their path. Despite intense fire from the Confederate defenders, Anderson and the others were successful in destroying the obstacle. General Adelbert Ames recommended all thirteen men for the Medal of Honor, but his report was misplaced and the medals not issued.

Forty-nine years after the end of the war, in 1914, Anderson hired a lawyer in an effort to receive the Medal of Honor. One of the other thirteen soldiers in the palisade-cutting group, Private Zachariah C. Neahr, had successfully petitioned for the award decades earlier. At Anderson's prompting, the Adjutant General of the Army launched an investigation which uncovered General Ames' letter of recommendation and sought out the other men of the group. Three men, Alaric B. Chapin, George Merrill, and Dewitt C. Hotchkiss, were found to be still alive and were, along with Anderson, again recommended for the medal. Anderson, Merrill, and Chapin were each issued the Medal of Honor on December 28, 1914; Hotchkiss' recommendation was overlooked a second time, and he was never decorated. [ [http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwarmz.html Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients (M-Z)] Retrieved on 2008-01-31]

Anderson lived for a time in Illinois, but eventually returned to New York and settled there in the city of Amsterdam. He died at age 77 in St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, New York, and was buried at Green Hill Cemetery in Amsterdam.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Company K, 142d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Fisher, N.C., January 15, 1865. Entered service at: Ephratah, N.Y. Born: Mexico, Oswego County, N.Y., June 9, 1845. Date of issue: December 28, 1914. [http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwaral.html Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients (A-L)] ]

Citation:

:Voluntarily advanced with the head of the column and cut down the palisading.

ee also

*List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
*

Notes

References

*cite web
publisher = U.S. Army Center of Military History
title = Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients - (A-L)
date = 2005-04-27
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/civwaral.html
work = Medal of Honor Citations
accessdate = 2008-01-31

*cite book
last = Hanna
first = Charles W.
title = African American recipients of the Medal of Honor: a biographical dictionary, Civil War through Vietnam War
publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
year = 2002
location = Jefferson, North Carolina
page = 14
isbn = 0-7864-1355-7

External links

*findagrave|5747861 Retrieved on 2008-02-14

Persondata
NAME= Anderson, Bruce
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH= June 19, 1845
PLACE OF BIRTH= Mexico City, Mexico
DATE OF DEATH= August 22, 1922
PLACE OF DEATH= Albany, New York