b. 09/04/1841 Rochdale, Lancashire, England. d. 25/01/1911 Portland, Oregon.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 14/05/1864 Resaca, Georgia.
Joseph A Sladen MOH
Joseph Alton Sladen was born in Rochdale, England on April 9, 1841, a son of James and Mary Sladen. James Sladen worked as a coal and lime merchant, and died when Joseph Sladen was five years old. Mary Sladen moved to Lowell, Massachusetts with Joseph so they could join his older siblings who already resided there. Joseph Sladen began working in local mills and factories at age nine, helping support the family while attending the public schools. After completing his education, Sladen worked for two years as a cloth carder.
In 1862, Sladen joined the Union Army for the American Civil War, enlisting as a private in Company A, 33rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. He took part in several of the regiment’s engagements, including the Battle of Chancellorsville and Battle of Gettysburg. Sladen took part in the May 13–15, 1864 Battle of Resaca. While serving as a clerk at the regimental headquarters, Sladen left his post to voluntarily join the battle. His personal example inspired his comrades at a critical moment in the fight, and they rallied to defeat their Confederate opponents. On July 19, 1895, he received the Medal of Honor in acknowledgement of his Civil War heroism.
Having received promotion to corporal, in 1864 Sladen was commissioned as a first lieutenant of Volunteers and assigned to the 14th United States Colored Infantry Regiment. Detailed as an aide-de-camp to General Oliver Otis Howard, he remained in the Union Army until 1866. Sladen took part in the September 1864 Battle of Jonesborough, for which he received regular army brevet promotions to first lieutenant and captain.
After the war, Howard was appointed commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Washington, D.C. Sladen was appointed a second lieutenant in the United States Army’s 17th Infantry Regiment and detailed to Howard’s staff. In 1866, he was transferred to the 26th Infantry Regiment, and in 1870, he was transferred to the 14th Infantry Regiment, but he continued to serve at the Freedman’s Bureau. When Howard became president of Howard University, Sladen served as the school’s secretary. While serving in Washington, Sladen also attended Howard University College of Medicine, from which he graduated with an M.D. degree in 1871. He then attended Bellevue Medical College in New York City, from which he received an M.D. in 1872. After completing his education, Sladen served on Howard’s faculty as an instructor of anatomy.
After leaving the military, Sladen settled in Portland, Oregon, where he started a business career. He was general manager of Aetna Life Insurance Company’s Portland office and a special agent for the Columbia Fire and Marine Insurance Company. In addition, he served on the board of directors for the Savings Bank of the Northwest Loan and Trust Company. Sladen also served as a special agent for the German American Insurance Company, and also carried out an appointment as professor of military science at Portland’s Bishop Scott Academy.
In 1894, Sladen was appointed clerk of the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Oregon. He held this position until 1908, when he learned he had been promoted to major on the Army’s retired list. Long active in Freemasonry, Sladen held several leadership positions in the organization and attained the 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite in 1904. In addition, his civic and professional memberships included Portland’s Boys & Girls Aid Society, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Baptist Church.
MOH CITATION:
While detailed as clerk at headquarters, voluntarily engaged in action at a critical moment and personal example inspired the troops to repel the enemy.
BURIAL LOCATION: US MILITARY ACADEMY CEMETERY, WEST POINT, NEW YORK.
SECTION 4, ROW B, GRAVE 33.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
