Valor Friday

In my continuing series exploring the valor of chaplains, there were three ministers who earned the Medal of Honor during the Civil War.

While not the first man to be awarded the Medal of Honor on this list, his actions predate the others. John Milton Whitehead received his medal for actions 31 December, 1862 in battle at Stone River, Tennessee with the 15th Indiana Infantry.

Whitehead was no young man when he enlisted to join The War Between the States, he was 39 at the time of his fateful battle. He’d been a Baptist minister for 20 years.

The Battle of Stones River (or the Second Battle of Murfreesboro) was a three day battle starting on 31 December, 1862 and lasting until 2 January. It saw General Rosecran’s Army of the Cumberland march from Nashville to confront Confederate General Bragg’s Army of Tennessee.

While both generals planned to attack each other, Bragg stuck first. The Union forces repulsed multiple attacks and ultimately forced the Confederates to retreat. The battle was brutal, to say the least. Stones River saw the highest percentage of casualties of any battle during the war on both sides. Nearly 30% of the Northern troops were killed or wounded. On the Southern side it was worse. Casualties for the Confederates were more than 33%.

The battle itself, while horrendous, was indecisive strategically speaking. It did deny the South control over central Tennessee, but did more to affect morale. The North saw a huge boost in morale. Forcing Bragg to retreat boosted spirits in the North after the Union’s defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Meanwhile, Bragg’s failure caused his Army of Tennessee to lose confidence in his leadership.

Pastor Whitehead said of the casualties, “Three times we charged Jackson’s Brigade and three times we put the enemy to flight… But this was accomplished only with a fearful loss of life. Of my own regiment every alternate man was either killed or wounded.”

An unarmed, non-combatant, Whitehead remained with his men. During the course of the battle on the 31st of December he would pray with the dying, hear their final words, tended to the wounded and dragged those too injured to carry themselves to safety. He did this all among the constant threat of enemy shell and rifle fire.

Among those he ministered to in their final moments was his own next door neighbor from Wayne County, Indiana, who died in his arms after being wounded in combat. He also brought the mortally wounded Company G commander Calvin Zenner to safety. After praying with the man in his final moments, the chaplain sang “O Sing to Me of Heaven.”

For his tireless efforts to aid his men under the intense battle that saw casualties near 1/3rd of those present he became known as “The Angel of Stones River.” He’d also receive the Medal of Honor, but not until 4 April, 1898.

After the war, Whitehead returned to the church. In the late 1880’s he found his way to Kansas, ending up in Topeka. There he helped to build the First Baptist Church. He also served as a chaplain for the state legislature for two sessions.

Pastor Whitehead remained a minister until his death in 1909.

James Hill was the first chaplain to receive the Medal of Honor, though his actions are chronologically second to John Whitehead.

Hill was born in England, but had immigrated to the US. Making his way to Iowa, he farmed and became a Baptist minister. He left the church to enlist with Company C, 21st Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He too was no young man, he too was 40 years old at the time of his action. His age and experience as a minister are probably why he was elected a first lieutenant.

On 16 May, 1863 Hill and his regiment were a part of the Battle of Champion Hill in Mississippi. This was to be the decisive battle in the greater Vicksburg Campaign under General Ulysses S. Grant.

Hill was serving as his unit’s quartermaster. He was out on a foraging mission in dense woods when, alone, he stumbled across three armed Confederate pickets. Quick thinking and with a large dose of testicular fortitude, the former preacher realized he was in a bind.

In his own words, Hill “instantly . . .ordered the… Johnnies to ‘ground arms!’ They obeyed. Then slightly turning my head, I addressed an imaginary guard in the brush with a hasty order to ‘halt… and then gave the order to my prisoners: ‘Single file, march’ and to my imaginary guard: ‘Forward March.’ I hurried toward the command at good speed.”

Thanks to his quick wit and confidence he not only avoided being shot or captured by the enemy (an enemy officer would make a nice prize) but he captured three of the enemy, alive, without firing a shot. For this, Hill received the Medal of Honor on 15 March, 1893.

Before war’s end, he would become the regiment’s chaplain. After the war he returned to Iowa. Continuing his ministry he also became president of a narrow gauge railroad. He died in 1899.

While technically not a chaplain at the time of his Medal of Honor award, I think his service as such both before and after warrants inclusion in this article.

Lastly, Milton Lorenzo Haney was 36 when he mustered into service in the Union Army. A Methodist minister and devout abolitionist, he was solidly in favor of the Union cause.

Haney was tasked, as a pillar of the community, to help raise volunteers for the war effort. Within five days he’d enlisted more than 100 men, who made the core of two companies of the “Bushnell Light Guard”.
Haney joined the 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry he’d helped recruit for at Bushnell, Illinois. He was elected to command Company F and was commissioned a captain 11 October, 1861. He soon was appointed regimental chaplain in March 1862.

As chaplain, Haney ministered to the troops, led services, and offered counsel. He took on leadership roles, leading men on foraging missions. He was even once elected colonel of the regiment. He even requested permission to recruit and raise a black regiment.

The 55th Illinois saw action first at Shiloh just a month later. They would participate in 22 battles and campaigns throughout the war, including the Battle of Champion Hill that James Hill was cited for. It was during the Battle of Atlanta, a battle which precipitated Sherman’s March to the Sea, that Chaplain Haney would distinguish himself.

On 22 July, 1864, the 55th Illinois was under William T Sherman’s command. The Civil War was fought long before the Hague and Geneva Conventions codified that chaplains were non-combatants. They still historically were unarmed.

During a crucial moment in the battle, Chaplain Haney flouted that custom. A Union breastwork had just fallen and become overrun with Confederate forces. Haney grabbed a musket and joined the men of the regiment.

Under his leadership they charged forward, perhaps inspired by the example set by their minister. He didn’t stop until they retook the Federal breastworks. It is said that at one point 100 enemy muskets were firing directly at him, shredding blades of grass all around him.

According to a Chicago Tribune report at the time, “A stalwart rebel ordered him to
surrender. ‘Never,’ said the chaplain, and shot him dead.” General Sherman is said to have remarked such a Chaplain was worth a thousand men.

Haney received the Medal of Honor in 1896 for his actions at Atlanta in 1864. His citation notes that he “rendered heroic service.” Because of his courage under fire and willingness to join the fighting men, Haney was known as “The Fighting Chaplain” to the men of the 55th Illinois. He worked as a recruiting officer before being mustered out of the service in December, 1864.

After the war Haney returned to preaching. He had a prominent role in the Methodist Holiness movement. Taking on Holiness preaching full time somewhere around 1872, he initially worked in the Illinois area, extended that to the Midwest, and eventually further west. He made his way to California. Writing several books on the topic of Holiness, Haney gained some national renown from his work.

Haney stayed active in veterans communities and was the chaplain of record for the 55th Illinois Veterans Volunteer Infantry.

By the 1890s Haney’s health problems were worsening. He began to receive an invalid pension from the War Department in the amount of $30 a month by 1915 and $40 a month from 1916. That equates to roughly $775 a month in today’s money. He eventually qualified for an increase to $60 a month, but didn’t live long enough to see it. He died in 1922 at the age of 96 from pneumonia.

 

Category: Historical, Medal of Honor, Real Soldiers, Valor, We Remember