The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military decoration, awarded for extraordinary bravery. During the Civil War, 106 soldiers connected to Illinois earned this honor – either born in the state, enlisted there, or having served in Illinois units.

Among them were 27 native Illinoisans and 20 immigrants who made Illinois home.

Remarkably, 43 of these medals came from a single, bloody assault on the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 22, 1863. Seven local men earned their medals in that failed frontal attack, including three from the 127th Illinois Infantry, a regiment largely recruited from the Chicago area.

Pvt. Andrew Goldsbery, a 23-year-old farmer from St. Charles, stood just 5-foot-4. Pvt. Andrew McCornack, only 19 and from Rutland, later raised a family of 10 children and lived until 1920. The tallest of the trio was Pvt. Emmet Bowen of Hampshire, a 32-year-old married farmer who survived the assault but was transferred to the Invalid Corps months later.

Although the 127th Illinois earned six Medals of Honor during the war, the 55th Illinois topped the state with nine. Three local men from the 55th won medals at Vicksburg, including Corporals John Fisher and James Larrabee, both farmers in their mid-20s. Fisher rose from private to first lieutenant before the war’s end. Another local hero was Pvt. Jacob Miller, a 24-year-old farmer from Geneva with dark features. He later moved to Nebraska, working various jobs until his death in 1917.

Another extraordinary episode unfolded at Elk River, Tennessee, on July 2, 1863. Seven men from Company D of the 104th Illinois earned Medals of Honor for charging a Confederate blockhouse protecting a burning rail bridge. Sgt. George Marsh, a 26-year-old married farmer from Brookfield Township, led the volunteer assault.

“Many offered to go,” Marsh recalled, “but I took the first ten who stepped forward.” Against fierce fire, the men captured the blockhouse – amazingly, without a single wound.

Among them were Pvt. Richard Gage, a 21-year-old New Hampshire native farming in Illinois, and Pvt. Oscar Slagle, a 19-year-old from Fulton County. Two were immigrants: Pvt. George Houghton from Nova Scotia and Pvt. John Shapland from England, the oldest and shortest of the group. All seven survived the war, though Marsh and Gage were discharged due to wounds. Their medals came decades later, in 1897, and all were alive to receive them.

Lt. Col. Douglas Hapeman of Ottawa also earned the Medal of Valor during the Atlanta campaign in 1864. He was praised for rallying his men of the 104th Illinois under heavy attack and repelling the enemy.

Capturing enemy flags is often a path to the Medal of Honor. Cpl. James Merrifield of the 88th Illinois seized two flags at the brutal Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, in 1864 at age 20. Two local men earned medals at Missionary Ridge during the 1863 Chattanooga campaign. 2nd Lt. Simon Josselyn of Amboy captured Confederate colors after taking prisoners, while Sgt. Leverett Kelley of Rutland led a daring charge, forcing a surrender and claiming the enemy officer’s sword. Kelley later was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

In the war’s final weeks, Cpl. Wesley Powers of Blackberry swam a river under fire to secure a ferry for Union troops, and 1st Lt. Thomas Payne of Mendota led an assault on Fort Blakely, entering enemy works first.

Some stories stand out. Second Lt. Samuel Churchill, a 21-year-old DeKalb County farmer, earned his medal at Nashville by manning his cannon alone under heavy fire after his crew fled. He later wrote a detailed memoir and has an Army Reserve Center named after him.

Then there was Robinson Barr Murphy, a 15-year-old drummer boy from Oswego. Twice rejected for being too young, he finally enlisted with his father’s permission. During a desperate battle near Atlanta, Murphy was sent for reinforcements, arriving just as two fresh regiments did. His horse was shot, but he mounted another and led the troops to the front. Murphy lived to 85 and is buried in Arlington.

Though many medals were awarded decades after the war, and some stories grew in legend, the sheer number of Illinoisans honored reflects the courage of those from the Land of Lincoln. Their valor on the Civil War’s brutal battlefields remains a powerful legacy.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.