Canadian Medal of  

          Honor.com

  • Sunday evening's blogs
  • graves, memorials and medals
  • About the Author
  • contact the Author
  • Home
latest blog

Waited Thirty Eight Years to get his Medal of Honor!

2/26/2013

1 Comment

 
When a Medal of Honor is awarded today newspapers across the US and around the world pick up the story. The recipient is flown to Washington DC and meets the President of the United States and in a ceremony full of pomp and ceremony he or she is presented with his or her medal. All the top brass in the miltary are there. Often a few state Governors and most major politicians, and cabinet ministers and senators are in the audience. As are many of the soldiers' very comrades in arms that may well have been in the very battle where the resulting bravery would end up with the Medal being awarded. Recipients have very onorous resposibilities from that day on and for the rest of their lives. But that said, many a door is opend to the service member for better education and jobs and lots of opportunities that the regular service member can only dream of.

That being said, when a recipient DOES NOT EVEN KNOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN AWARDED A MEDAL for years or in some cases decades, they are robbed of some of these benefits and life is much more of a struggle than it might have otherwise been.

Yarmouth Nova Scotia born George L Houghton did not find out till he went to a party that he was a hero... and had been one for 38 years. It would be at a reunion of his old regiment that he would see others that were in the very battle he was, wearing their Medals of Honor. Yet he, as qualified, had none to wear. But this would change.

But let's step back a little.  George Houghton moved to the US with his family when he was only about 4 years of age. They had left a 100 acre farm in what was erroneously called Canada West by most sources (It was Canada East) and relocated and again took up farming in Illinois. George would be schooled and at the start of the war when the 104th Illinois Infantry was started in 1862, he would sign up. He would participate in every battle the unit fought it from the very beginning until mustered out at the end of the Civil War.
Picture
 It would be in Tennessee where Houghton and several others would be called upon to volunteer for an extra dangerous duty in early July of 1863.  Just east of Cowan, the Elk River flows under the railway line from Chattannooga runing North West up past Shelbyville. The Confederates had continued their move southbound but had left a detachment of artillery and sharpshooters to protect them from any attempts at the Union forces crossing the Elk River in their pursuit of the southerners. The bridge known at Bethpage was lit afire and the sharpshooters and artillery were soon called into action as Houghton's 11th Illinois moved up to cross the river. The rebels also has a small stockade on the north side of the river that would control any attempts to cross the bridge.

(At the very time of this event, massive forces were doing battle at Gettysburg. And just over 1 year earlier the  Andrews Raiders travelled through this very territory and would go on to earn what would be the first Medals of Honor every presented in the history of the medal.)

When the 11th came under fire orders were passed down from up the line to take out the stockade that protected about a dozen Confederate sharpshooters within. The Colonel received his instructions and passed them on to the Captain of Houghton's company. The officer called for some men to take on the job.... and as  Houghton woult later testify,... "we want no unwilling men for this duty."  In very short order about a dozen men, including Houghton volunteered for the job. 

The attack against the stockade required the volunteers to charge across almost a mile of open territory that was well within the gunshots of the stockade. Worse yet, it was also a killing feld for the Confederate sharpshooters dug in trenches and hiding behind bushes and rocks on the other side of the river. It was also under the heavy fire of artllery throughout the charge.  The Union's own artillery fired over the heads of the volunteers but that only kept sone of the enemy from firing.  Houghton would sate that... "While we were rushing across the valley the whole hillside in front of us was speckled with puffs of smoke made by the enemy's sharpshooters. The enemy fire was sharp, their bullets constantly hissing about us and the escape of the entire party seems akin to miraculous."

The men charged the stockade without firing a round, they just kept charging. When they got to the stockade the dozen Confederate inside panicked, climbed a back wall and ran for the river and swam across to make their escape. The Union volunteers were instant heroes and even the compliments of their General watching the action were passed on to the men.

Picture
It would be many years before any Medals were awarded for this battle.

In 1897 several were issued but four men were no loger around the Illinois area and were thought to be dead, so recomendations did not include them.

One of the recipients was a fellow named Oscar Slaggle, who's descendants have provided me with an image of the medal he received. It is pictured here, with the medal in its actual presentation box on the right, (with someone adding a US Flag to boot)  and the reverse is shown to the left.

In 1869 Houghton moved out west and had no further contact with the military until he decided to go to a reunion of the 11th in 1900. Upon arrival he met up with old comrades and many had the medal they were issued in 1897. He then got afadavits from his commanding officer, two captains, a Lieutenant, a Sgt and a few privates all giving statements to the effect that he too participated in the battle and was as entitled to a medal as were the others.

Picture
The War department agreed with Houghton and here is the letter announcing that once a medal was suitably inscribed it would be mailed out to him. I have yet to locate that medal but no doubt it would be the same as Slaggle's pictured above.

In later life George Houghton took up teaching and then worked as a lawyer. In 1898 he got married, but they had no children.
 
Houghton died on 25 Febraury 1917, 96 years ago yesterday,  and is buried buried in Washington State.

Bart

1 Comment
C. Stanley
4/8/2013 11:18:54 am

When he left Illinois, Houghton was considered a scoundrel.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author;
    Bart Armstrong, C.D.,
    Recipient, Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers 

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly