Ignatz Gresser

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Ignatz Gresser
Born(1835-08-15)August 15, 1835
Germany
DiedAugust 1, 1919(1919-08-01) (aged 83)
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Buried
Union-West End Cemetery, Allentown
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Union Army
RankCorporal
UnitPennsylvania Company D, 128th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
AwardsMedal of Honor
Private Ignatz Gresser in 1862

Ignatz Gresser (August 15, 1835 – August 1, 1919) was an American soldier and member of the 128th Pennsylvania Infantry who fought in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for carrying a wounded Union soldier from the field of battle at Antietam.[1][2]

Gresser was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1851 at the age of 15. He was a cobbler before and after the war.[3] The soldier he saved was William Henry Sowden, who would go on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.[4]

Ignatz Gresser died in Allentown on August 1, 1919.[4]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization. Corporal, Company D, 128th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., September 17, 1862. Entered service at : Lehigh County, Pa. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: December 12, 1895.

Citation

While exposed to the fire of the enemy, carried from the field a wounded comrade.

References

  1. ^ "GRESSER, IGNATZ". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  2. ^ Beyer, Walter F.; Keydel, Oscar F. (1901). Deeds of Valor: How America's Heroes Won the Medal of Honor. The Perrien-Keydel Company.
  3. ^ Whelan, Frank (May 25, 1998). "Courageous Cobbler Shoemaker Ignatz Gresser Started As A Weekend Soldier, Then Won The Medal Of Honor For Saving Lives". The Morning Call. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Ignatz Gresser, 1st Defender, Answers Final Summons". Allentown Morning Call. August 2, 1919. p. 5. Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.