On May 22, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi.[2] 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 citationedit
“For gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863.[3][4]”
Davis, Cameron (2009). Confluence: Genoir of an American Family. Charleston, SC: BookSurge Publishing. p. 571. ISBN978-1439218174. OCLC 457854116.
Dyer, Frederick H (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q.
War Department, U.S. (1889). Operations in Mississippi and West Tennessee, including those in Arkansas and Louisiana connected with the Siege of Vicksburg. January 20 - August 10, 1863 - Reports, May 16-August 10. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXIV-XXXVI-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. hdl:2027/coo.31924077723033. OCLC 857196196.
"COLBY, CARLOS W." Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
"Carlos W Colby". THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
carlos, colby, 1837, 1922, union, army, soldier, during, american, civil, serving, company, 97th, illinois, volunteer, regiment, received, medal, honor, gallantry, during, siege, vicksburg, 1863, born, 1837, 1837merrimack, hampshirediedmay, 1922, 1922, aged, i. Carlos W Colby 1837 1922 was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War serving in Company G of the 97th Illinois Volunteer Regiment He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22 1863 1 Carlos W ColbyBorn 1837 05 15 May 15 1837Merrimack New HampshireDiedMay 19 1922 1922 05 19 aged 85 IllinoisPlace of burialCress Hill Cemetery Hillsboro IllinoisAllegiance United StatesService wbr branch United States ArmyUnion ArmyYears of service1862 1865RankFirst SergeantUnit97th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry Company GBattles warsAmerican Civil War Siege of VicksburgAwardsMedal of HonorColby joined the Army in August 1862 and was mustered out in August 1865 2 Contents 1 Union assault 2 Medal of Honor citation 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksUnion assault editOn May 22 1863 General Ulysses S Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg Mississippi 2 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 edit For gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863 3 4 See also editList of Medal of Honor recipients List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients A F 97th Regiment Illinois Volunteer InfantryNotes edit War Department 1889 p 150 Vol XXIV XXXVI II a b Dyer 1908 p 128 CMOHS 2014 VCOnline 2020 References editDavis Cameron 2009 Confluence Genoir of an American Family Charleston SC BookSurge Publishing p 571 ISBN 978 1439218174 OCLC 457854116 Dyer Frederick H 1908 A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion Des Moines IA Dyer Pub Co ASIN B01BUFJ76Q War Department U S 1889 Operations in Mississippi and West Tennessee including those in Arkansas and Louisiana connected with the Siege of Vicksburg January 20 August 10 1863 Reports May 16 August 10 The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Vol XXIV XXXVI II Washington DC U S Government Printing Office hdl 2027 coo 31924077723033 OCLC 857196196 COLBY CARLOS W Congressional Medal of Honor Society CMOHS 2014 Retrieved 19 August 2014 Carlos W Colby THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA amp GEORGE CROSS VCOnline 2020 Retrieved 2 May 2020 External links editFindagrave A Forlorn Hope Vicksburg Medal of Honor Recipients Carlos W Colby Papers at the Newberry Library nbsp This article about a person of the American Civil War is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte nbsp Biography portal nbsp American Civil War portal nbsp United States portal nbsp This article about a person of the American Civil War is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Carlos W Colby amp oldid 1064160265, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
