David Southard

David Southard
Born	1845 Ocean County, New Jersey
Died	May 6, 1894 (aged 48–49) Ocean County, New Jersey
Place of burial	Zion Methodist Church Cemetery New Egypt, New Jersey
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1861 – 1865
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	Company C, 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry
Battles/wars	American Civil War *Battle of Sailors Creek
Awards	Medal of Honor

David Southard (1845 – May 6, 1894) was born in Ocean County, New Jersey and 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 Sailors Creek

Civil War Service

He enlisted in the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry in the summer of 1861, and was mustered in as a Private in the unit's Company C on August 17, 1861. He served in the field continuously through the next four years, re-enlisting on February 25, 1864. A combination of excellent field service combined with the attrition the war took on his Company, he rose in in the later half of 1864, being promoted to Corporal on September 1, 1864, and to Sergeant on December 12, 1864. He took part in the Union cavalry operations in March and April 1865 that contributed to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, performed post-war occupation duty, and was mustered out of service on July 24, 1865.

On April 6, 1865 he fought in the Battle of Sailor's Creek, Virginia. There in the midst of the battle he performed his act of bravery that would garner him the Medal of Honor, as his citation explains - "Capture of flag; and was the first man over the works in the charge". His Medal was awarded to him on July 3, 1865. 11 other members of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry were awarded the Medal of Honor for their bravery during the Civil War, making it the most decorated New Jersey Civil War regiment.

Later life

Sergeant Southard was one of four brothers who fought in the Civil War, all of whom survived the war. He retired to Ocean County, New Jersey, where he died in 1894. He is buried in the Zion Methodist Church Cemetery in New Egypt, New Jersey. His grave is marked with a government issue Medal of Honor gravestone.^[1]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization:

Sergeant, Company C, 1st New Jersey Cavalry. Place and date. At Sailors Creek, Va., April 6, 1865. Entered service at:------. Birth: Ocean County, N.J. Date of issue: July 3, 1865.

Citation:

Capture of flag; and was the first man over the works in the charge.^[2][3]

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Army portal
	American Civil War portal

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: Q–S

Notes

1. ^ "David Southard". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7238800. Retrieved 2007-11-09. 
2. ^ ""Civil War Medal of Honor citations" (S-Z): Southard, David". AmericanCivilWar.com. http://americancivilwar.com/medal_of_honor8.html. Retrieved 2007-11-08. 
3. ^
   • "Civil War (M-Z); Southard, David entry". Medal of Honor recipients. United States Army Center of Military History. August 6, 2009. http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwarmz.html. Retrieved July 13, 2010. 

References

• Bilby, Joseph G. and Goble, William C., "Remember You Are Jerseymen: A Military History of Jersey's Troops in the Civil War", Longstreet House, Hightstown, June 1998. ISBN 0-944413-54-4.

• Lang, George, Collins, Raymond L., and White, Gerald, Medal of Honor recipients 1863-1994, 1995 ISBN 0-816032-59-9

• Stryker, William S., "Record of Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Civil War 1861-1865", Trenton, New Jersey, 1876.

Persondata
Name	Southard, David
Alternative names
Short description	United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
Date of birth	1845
Place of birth	Ocean County, New Jersey
Date of death	May 6, 1894
Place of death	Ocean County, New Jersey