John Reed Porter Explained

John Reed Porter
Birth Date:14 November 1838
Birth Place:Delaware County, Ohio
Death Place:Dayton, Ohio
Placeofburial:McComb Union Cemetery McComb, Ohio
Placeofburial Label:Place of burial
Allegiance:United States of America
Branch: United States Army Union Army (POW)
Serviceyears:1861 - 1865
Rank: 1st Lieutenant
Unit:Company G, 21st Ohio Infantry
Battles:American Civil War Battle of Stones River Battle of Chickamauga Atlanta Campaign Battle of Bentonville Chattanooga Campaign
Awards: Medal of Honor

John Reed Porter (November 14, 1838 – October 15, 1923) was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, a military award presented by the United States Department of War to 18 Union Army soldiers who participated in the Great Locomotive Chase in 1862 during the American Civil War (1861–1865). He joined Union Army in 1861 and participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Stones River, Bentonville, and the campaigns of Chattanooga and Atlanta. At the end of the war he was a first lieutenant.

Biography

Porter was a native of Delaware County, Ohio. He joined the United States Army in 1861 as a private in Company G, 21st Ohio Infantry. In April 1862, he was to take part in a daring raid with 21 others (later known as "Andrews' Raiders" because they operated under the command of James J. Andrews). He overslept and missed out on the raid but was captured and imprisoned along with his fellow raiders within two weeks. Porter and 14 others managed to escape, but only six of them reached friendly lines. Porter was one of the six who managed to reach Union held territory. He served with the Union Army for the remainder of the war and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. By the war's end he was promoted to first lieutenant. Following the war, he returned to Ohio and was the last raider to die in 1923. He was buried in the McComb Union Cemetery, in McComb, Ohio.[1]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization:

Rank and Organization: Private, Company G, 21st Ohio Infantry. Place and Date: Georgia, April 1862. Entered Service At: Findlay, Ohio. Born: 14 November 1838, Delaware County, Ohio. Date Of Issue: September 1863.Citation:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Find a Grave . 1LT John Reed Porter . August 9, 2000 . May 30, 2018.