b. 20/11/1843 New York. d. 28/09/1908 Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 22/05/1863 Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient. He was a 19-year old resident of Cincinnati, Ohio when he enlisted in the Union Army on September 5, 1861. Mustered into Company F, 54th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, he served with his regiment during the 1863 Vicksburg Campaign. On May 22, 1863 he volunteered for a “forlorn hope” assault and was awarded the CMOH for his bravery that day. 150 men were called to volunteer to make a diversionary charge on the Confederate position known as the Stockade Redan – a charge that was intended to draw fire away from the real planned attack, and a charge no one was expected to return from (to this end, only unmarried men were accepted as volunteers). After charging an open plain in full view of the Confederates, the withering fire was such that most of the volunteers were cut down, and those that made it through the fire sought shelter in a ravine under the Redan. There they stayed and fought until nightfall, when the survivors made their way back to the Union lines. 85 percent of the men who made the charge did not make it back. Private McGinn was able to work his way to Union lines, and was promoted to Sergeant the next day for his efforts.
He continued to serve through the end of the war, received a commission of 1st Lieutenant on January 16, 1865, and was honorably mustered out on August 15, 1865 at Little Rock, Arkansas. He was awarded his Medal on June 28, 1894, thirty-one years after his brave act.
MOH CITATION:
Gallantry in the charge of the “volunteer storming party.”
BURIAL LOCATION: CALVARY CEMETERY, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.
BLOCK 20, LOT 13N.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
