Thomas A. Blasdel

Thomas A. Blasdel (His surname is sometimes listed as Blasedale) (January 2, 1843 – 1932) 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.Thomas A. Blasdel (1843–1932) was a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient and a soldier in the American Civil War. Blasdel went on to get promoted to Private, and from there to Corporal. Blasdel enlisted in the Union army at 19 years old in August, 1862 during the Civil War.

Thomas A. Blasdel
Born(1843-01-02)January 2, 1843
Dearborn County, Indiana
Died1932 (aged 88–89)
Kansas
Place of burial
Fair Lawn Cemetery, Hutchinson, Kansas
Allegiance United States of America
Union
Service/branch United States Army
Union Army
Years of service1862 - 1865
Rank Corporal
Unit 83rd Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry - Company H
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
 • Siege of Vicksburg
Awards Medal of Honor

Early life

Thomas A. Blasdel was born on January 2, 1843 in Dearborn County, Indiana, United States of America. His parents were named Ferris Enoch Blasdel and Clarissa Annis Blasdel and they too were both born in America. The Blasdel family was a big one, consisting of 10 children. Thomas was the second oldest of 9 children; 5 girls and 4 boys. His siblings were: Rhoda, Pamelia, Eleanor, George, Enoch, John, Clara, Raymond, and Rachel.

Career

For most of his military career, Thomas Blasdel served as a Private in Company H, 83rd Indiana Infantry. The event that Thomas is most famous for is his actions during the Siege of Vicksburg.

On May 22, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi[1][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.

Thomas Blasdel was 20 years old at the time and still relatively new to his military career. Private Blasdel, along with many other soldiers, volunteered to be a part of the storming party against the Confederates during the Siege of Vicksburg. Thomas and the other did this knowing that the odds of all of them, or even some of them, being alive afterwards were very slim 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. Even though the men knew how risky it was, double the amount of needed men volunteered and some were even turned away. In the end there were 150 men apart of the storming party. This meant that they had to, before the main attack by the Confederates, build a bridge across a moat and plant ladders all against the Confederate embankment.

This entire event started in the morning, not very long after a naval bombardment by the opposing side[3]. The Union soldiers came under enemy fire immediately and were pinned down in the ditch they were to cross. Even though there were multiple, powerful attacks by the Confederates, Private Blasdel, along with others, were able to hold off the opposing side. From the morning those 150 men kept away tons of Confederate soldiers. This went on until night, when both sides retreated since it was dark. Out of the 150 who bravely volunteered, around half of them were killed; which in reality could have been worse and was much better than what men predicted. 79 of the survivors (including Thomas A Blasdel) were awarded the Medal of Honor. This event happened just one year after Thomas Blasdel enlisted in the army[4][5].

Blasdel was discharged in June 1865.[6] On August 11, 1894, 31 years after the fact at the age of 51, Blasdel received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg.

Later life

Blasdel married Elizabeth and had a child, Emert. Elizabeth died in 1928 and Thomas on October 12, 1932 in Reno County, Kansas, USA. He is buried in Fairlawn Burial Park, Hutchinson Reno County, Kansas, USA.

Medal of Honor citation

For gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863.

See also

Notes
  1. War Department (1880), p. 87.
  2. Dyer (1908), p. 428.
  3. Grecian (1865), p. 31.
  4. CMOHS (2014).
  5. VCOnline (2020).
  6. Indiana Digital Archives

References
  • Dyer, Frederick H (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q.
  • Grecian, Joseph (1865). History of the Eighty-Third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry for Three Years with Sherman: Compiled from the Regimental and Company Books, and Other Sources, as Well as from the Writer's Own Observations and Experience. Cincinnati, OH: John F. Uhlhorn, Printer. pp. 163. OCLC 692458250.
  • 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.
  • "BLASDEL, THOMAS A." Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  • "Thomas Annis Blasdel". THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
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