Allen and James Thompson

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Allen Thompson (born October 1, 1847 ; died February 27, 1906 ) and James Granville Thompson (born December 25, 1849 ; died 1921 ) were United States Army soldiers . The two brothers fought together in the Civil War and received the Medal of Honor in the same battle . This makes them one of the few siblings who received this award.

Life

Allen Thompson joined the United States Army in 1863. His brother James followed him a year later. They both served with the rank of private in the 4th New York Artillery Regiment . During the Appomattox campaign in April 1865 in the Civil War, both served under General Nelson A. Miles . Her regiment was affiliated with the II Corps and was mainly used as infantry rather than artillery .

During the campaign, the unit of the two brothers pursued on April 2, 1865 units of the Confederate States Army in the area around Petersburg in Virginia . These had been dispersed during the Battle of Five Forks the previous day. When the regiment passed abandoned Confederate fortifications on White Oak Road , which bordered a forest, Miles feared an ambush. Seven soldiers, including the Thompson brothers, volunteered to clear up the situation. After the seven had covered around a quarter of the planned route through the forest, they unexpectedly encountered around 50 Confederate soldiers. Though vastly outnumbered, the Union soldiers chose to ignore the order to surrender and opened fire. Five of the seven soldiers lost their lives during the brief firefight. Allen Thompson was able to withdraw to his unit unharmed, while James was left seriously injured. The soldiers of the Union could thus be warned of the ambush in good time and defeated the Confederates in the following battle. James was found by a scout force and survived the battle.

Allen Thompson left the US Army in September 1865. His brother followed him into retirement in October of the same year.

31 years after the fighting on White Oak Road , the two brothers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their courage in the face of the enemy .

Allen Thompson died in 1906 at the age of 58. He was buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Cheyenne , Wyoming . His brother James died in 1921. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in San Diego , California .

Honors

  • Medal of Honor (US Army)

literature

  • Walter F. Beyer, Oscar Frederick Keydel, Henry Martin Duffield: Deeds of Valor , Perrien-Keydel Company, 1906

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Background to Allen and James G. Thompson ( Memento from June 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) www.history.army.mil
  2. ↑ Directory of members of the "4th New York Artillery Regiment" - "Division of Military and Naval Affairs" (PDF; 21.6 MB) www.dmna.ny.gov, accessed on June 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ Award text of the Medal of Honor to Allen Thompson www.homeofheroes.com, accessed on June 10, 2016.
  4. ↑ Award text of the Medal of Honor to James G. Thompson www.homeofheroes.com, accessed on June 10, 2016.