William Steinmetz

Infobox Military Person
name=William Steinmetz
born= Birth date|1847|9|2
died= Death date and age|1903|6|10|1847|9|2
placeofburial=


caption= Medal of Honor recipient
nickname=
placeofbirth=Newport, Kentucky
placeofdeath=Cincinnati, Ohio
allegiance= United States of America Union
branch= United States Army Union Army
serviceyears=
rank= Private
unit=Company G, 83rd Indiana Infantry
commands=
battles=American Civil War
*Battle of Vicksburg
awards=Medal of Honor
relations=
laterwork=

William Steinmetz (September 2, 1847 in Newport, Kentucky – June 10, 1903) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Biography

William Steinmetz was born in Newport, Kentucky on September 2,1847. He was a Corporal in the American Civil War. He entered service at Sunman, Indiana and he served in the Union Army in Company G, 83rd Indiana Infantry. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His citation reads "Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

The Vicksburg campaign was waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. It included battles in west-central Mississippi at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, Big Black River and numerous smaller battle fields. On the morning of May 22, General Grant launched what he hoped would be a crushing assault against Vicksburg. In the fighting that followed, the Union Infantry was repulsed and thrown back along a three-mile front. The Union Army suffered more than 3,000 casualties, and 97 Union soldiers earned Medals of Honor (the second largest single-day total in history.) Private William Steinmetz was one of eighty soldiers cited simply for "Gallantry in the charge of the 'volunteer storming party,' seemingly innocuous wording that actually denotes the fact that Private Steinmetz was at the head of his attacking force where the enemy fire was hottest and the danger the greatest. Following the failed assault on May 22, a forty-seven day siege was laid against the city, which finally surrendered to Union forces on July 4.

He died on June 10, 1903 and is buried in Wesleyan Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. [findagrave|8613282 Retrieved on 2007-11-08]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization::Private, Company G, 83d Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At Vicksburg, Miss., 22 May 1863. Entered service at: Sunmans, Ind. Birth: Newport, Ky. Date of issue: 12 July 1894.

Citation::Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."cite web
publisher = AmericanCivilWar.com
title = "Civil War Medal of Honor Citations" (S-Z): Steinmetz, William
date =
url = http://americancivilwar.com/medal_of_honor8.html
accessdate = 2007-11-09] cite web
publisher = army.mil
title = "Medal of Honor website” (M-Z): Steinmetz, William
date =
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/civwarmz.html
accessdate = 2007-11-09]

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*

Notes

External links

* [http://www.abraxis.com/beegee/Kentucky/Vets/heroes3.html Civil War Veterans]

Persondata
NAME= Steinmetz, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=