Decatur Dorsey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Decatur Dorsey | |
|---|---|
| 1836 – July 11, 1891 (age 55) | |
 Medal of Honor, 1862-1895 Army version |
|
| Place of birth | Howard County, Maryland |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Years of service | 1864-1865 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 39th U.S. Colored Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War *Battle of the Crater |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Decatur Dorsey (1836 - July 11, 1891) was an African American Medal of Honor recipient who was honored for his actions during the American Civil War.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Dorsey was born a slave in 1836 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, today a part of Howard County, Maryland. He worked as a laborer before enlisting in the Army from Baltimore on March 22, 1864, at age twenty-five. He joined Company B of the 39th United States Colored Infantry Regiment as a private, but was promoted to Corporal less then two months later, on May 17. By the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864, he had risen to the rank of Sergeant.
With the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, at a stalemate, Union forces hoped to break the city's defenses by detonating explosives in a tunnel dug beneath the Confederate lines, then charging the enemy positions in the aftermath of the explosion. Dorsey served as color bearer for his regiment during the battle. During this action he planted the colors upon the Confederate works in advance of his regiment and when they were driven back he carried the colors to the Union works to rally the men.
Dorsey was honorably discharged in December 1865 while in Wilmington, North Carolina. He married soon after that and died in 1891, from the effects of typhoid and rheumatism he had contracted in Wilmington, at the approximate age of fifty-five.
[edit] Medal of Honor citation
After weeks of preparation, on July 30, 1864, the Union soldiers exploded a mine in Burnside's IX Corps sector beneath Pegram's Salient, blowing a gap in the Confederate defenses of Petersburg in preparations for the fierce fighting later called the "Battle of the Crater". Unit after unit charged into and around the crater, where soldiers milled in confusion. The rebels quickly recovered and launched several counterattacks. The break was sealed off, and the Union Army repulsed with more than 7,000 men killed, wounded, or missing. Twenty three soldiers were awarded Medals of Honor for their valor in this deadly battle, including Sergeant Decatur Dorsey. A color bearer, Sergeant Dorsey planted his flag on the Confederate works in advance of his regiment, and when the regiment was driven back to the Union works, he carried the colors there and bravely rallied the men. In all, a total of 64 Medals of Honor were earned in action at Petersburg, Virginia, in the period from March 25 to April 3, 1865.
[edit] See also
- List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the American Civil War: A-L
[edit] References
- Hanna, Charles W. (2002). African American recipients of the Medal of Honor: a biographical dictionary, Civil War through Vietnam War. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, pp. 29-30. ISBN 0-7864-1355-7.
