Franklin Johndro

Franklin Johndro
Born 1835
Highgate Falls, Vermont
Died April 5, 1901
Buried Glens Falls Cemetery,
Glens Falls, New York[1]
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch  United States Army
Rank Private
Unit New York (state) Company A, 118th New York Infantry
Battles/wars American Civil War
Battle of Chaffin's Farm
Awards Medal of Honor

Franklin Johndro (1835 – April 5, 1901) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.[2]

Johndro was born in Highgate Falls, Vermont, and entered service at Queensbury, in New York. He served as a Private with Company A, 118th New York Infantry.

"Rounded up Forty Rebels"

Johndro was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown in Henrico County, Virginia, for bravery in action during the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, on September 30, 1864.[3]

At the order of Company A's captain, Johndro charged single-handedly against a group of Confederate soldiers who were stationed at the top of a slight hill.[3] The Confederate soldiers were cut off from the larger Confederate army, and so were unable to retreat; yet, their position allowed them to hold back Union advances. With nothing more than a bayoneted rifle in hand, Johndro advanced against heavy fire and captured forty Confederates as prisoner.[3]

His Medal of Honor was issued on April 6, 1865.[4] At the ceremony, his colonel was recorded as saying: "Johndro, if I owned this Medal of Honor and had won it in the way you did, I should think more of it than I do of the eagles that I carry on my shoulders."[3]

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Franklin Johndro, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 30 September 1864, while serving with Company A, 118th New York Infantry, in action at Chapin's Farm, Virginia, in the capture of 40 prisoners.[5]

Death and burial

Johndro died on April 5, 1901 and was buried at Glens Falls Cemetery[1] in Glens Falls, New York.

References

  1. 1 2 "Cemetery History". City of Glens Falls. City of Glens Falls. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Medal of Honor Recipients". United States Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Beyer, Walter Frederick (1901). Deeds of Valor. Perrien-Keydel Company. p. 440. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "JOHNDRO, FRANKLIN". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Valor awards for Franklin Johndro". Military Times, Hall of Valor. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  • Brief Johndro anecdote and photo in Deeds of Valor, 1901
  • "Franklin Johndro". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
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