On May 22, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi.[1] 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.[1]
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.[2] Seventy-nine of the survivors were awarded the Medal of Honor.[2][3][4]
Familyedit
William H. Barringer married Katherine Timely in June 1865. They went on to birth thirteen children throughout his life.[5]
Medal of Honor citationedit
For gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863.[3][4]
^"William H Barringer". Tales of Honor Podcast. 2023-08-30. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
Referencesedit
Dyer, Frederick H (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q.
War Department, U.S. (1880). The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
"BARRINGER, WILLIAM H." Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
"William H Barringer". THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
External linksedit
"William H. Barringer". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
Vicksburg Medal of Honor Recipients
This article about a person of the American Civil War is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
william, barringer, 1841, april, 1917, union, army, soldier, during, american, civil, received, medal, honor, gallantry, during, siege, vicksburg, 1863, born, 1841, 1841long, bottom, ohiodiedapril, 1917, 1917, aged, long, bottom, ohioplace, burialmount, olive,. William H Barringer May 27 1841 April 7 1917 was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22 1863 William H BarringerBorn 1841 05 27 May 27 1841Long Bottom OhioDiedApril 7 1917 1917 04 07 aged 75 Long Bottom OhioPlace of burialMount Olive Cemetery Long Bottom OhioAllegiance United States of AmericaUnionService wbr branch United States ArmyUnion ArmyRankPrivateUnit4th Regiment West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Company FBattles warsAmerican Civil War Siege of VicksburgAwardsMedal of Honor Contents 1 Union assault 2 Family 3 Medal of Honor citation 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksUnion assault editOn May 22 1863 General Ulysses S Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg Mississippi 1 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 1 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 2 Seventy nine of the survivors were awarded the Medal of Honor 2 3 4 Family editWilliam H Barringer married Katherine Timely in June 1865 They went on to birth thirteen children throughout his life 5 Medal of Honor citation editFor gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863 3 4 See also edit nbsp Biography portal nbsp American Civil War portal nbsp United States portal nbsp Pennsylvania portalList of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients A F Battle of Vicksburg 4th Regiment West Virginia Volunteer InfantryNotes edit a b Dyer 1908 p 428 a b War Department 1880 a b CMOHS 2014 a b VCOnline 2020 William H Barringer Tales of Honor Podcast 2023 08 30 Retrieved 2023 09 17 References editDyer Frederick H 1908 A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion Des Moines IA Dyer Pub Co ASIN B01BUFJ76Q War Department U S 1880 The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Washington DC U S Government Printing Office OCLC 857196196 BARRINGER WILLIAM H Congressional Medal of Honor Society CMOHS 2014 Retrieved 19 August 2014 William H Barringer THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA amp GEORGE CROSS VCOnline 2020 Retrieved 2 May 2020 External links edit William H Barringer Claim to Fame Medal of Honor recipients Find a Grave Retrieved 11 December 2014 A Forlorn Hope Vicksburg Medal of Honor Recipients nbsp This article about a person of the American Civil War is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte nbsp nbsp This biographical article related to the United States Army is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William H Barringer amp oldid 1175741946, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
