Joseph Frantz (soldier)

Joseph Frantz
Joseph Frantz
	Medal of Honor Recipient Joseph Frantz in 1894
Born	March 9, 1837; France
Died	October 4, 1913 (aged 76); Northfield, Minnesota
Place of burial	Calvary Cemetery, Northfield, Minnesota
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army ; Union Army
Years of service	1862 - 1865
Rank	Private
Unit	Company E, 83rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles / wars	American Civil War ; • Siege of Vicksburg
Awards	Medal of Honor

Last updated November 01, 2024

Joseph Frantz (March 9, 1837 - October 4, 1913) 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.

Union assault

On May 22, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi.^[2]^[3] 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.^[3]

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.^[4] Seventy-nine of the survivors were awarded the Medal of Honor.

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 Joseph Frantz, United States Army, for gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863, while serving with Company E, 83d Indiana Infantry, in action at Vicksburg, Mississippi.^[5]^[6]

Notes

Related Research Articles

William Steinmetz was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Bickford</span>

Matthew Bickford (1839–1918) received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton L. Armstrong</span> American Union Army soldier

Clinton Lycurgus Armstrong 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.

David Ayres 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. His last name was spelled as Ayers on his enlistment and maintains the spelling on his medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Barringer</span>

William H. Barringer 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas A. Blasdel</span>

Thomas A. Blasdel was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg. Blasdel enlisted in the Union army at 19 years old in August, 1862, during the Civil War. He went on to get promoted to Private, and from there to Corporal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmer Bowen</span>

Emmer Bowen 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.

John C. Buckley 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry G. Buhrman</span>

Henry G. Buhrman 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.

John Wesley Conaway 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.

James Jardine 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.

John G. K. Ayers 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William W. Chisman</span>

William W. Chisman was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos W. Colby</span>

Carlos W. Colby 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.

Elisha Johns 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. The surname is sometimes spelled Jones.

James Smith Cunningham (1840–1921) 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.

Richard Willis DeWitt 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.

Sampson Harris 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David H. Helms</span>

David H. Helms (1838–1921) 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Henry (soldier)</span>

James Henry (1833–1911) 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.

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. p. 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.
"FRANTZ, JOSEPH". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
"Joseph Frantz". THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.

External links

"Joseph Frantz". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave . Retrieved 11 December 2014.
A Forlorn Hope
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.

This biographical article related to the United States Army is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Indiana Digital Archives

[FOOTNOTEGrecian186531-2] Grecian (1865), p. 31.

[FOOTNOTEDyer1908428-3] 1 2 Dyer (1908), p. 428.

[FOOTNOTEWar_Department188087-4] War Department (1880), p. 87.

[FOOTNOTECMOHS2014-5] CMOHS (2014).

[FOOTNOTEVCOnline2020-6] VCOnline (2020).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]