Sergeant

John Morehead Scott
Born(1839-01-01)January 1, 1839
Stark County, Ohio
DiedJune 18, 1862(1862-06-18) (aged 23)
Atlanta, Georgia
Buried
Chattanooga National Cemetery, Chattanooga, Tennessee
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchArmy
Years of service1861-1862
RankSergeant
UnitCompany F, 21st Ohio Infantry
Battles/warsThe Great Locomotive Chase
AwardsMedal of Honor

John Morehead Scott (1 January 1839 - 18 June 1862) was a sergeant in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the American Civil War. Scott was awarded the medal posthumously on 27 April 1865 for actions performed during the Great Locomotive Chase on 12 April 1862.[1][2][3]

Personal life

Scott was born in Stark County, Ohio on 1 January 1839 to parents Thomas B. Scott and Elizabeth Moorehead Scott, one of 6 children. He married Rachel M. Davis Waggoner in 1861.[1] Following the Great Locomotive Chase, Scott was hanged along with 7 others in Atlanta, Georgia and was buried in Marietta National Cemetery.[4] He was later reburied in Chattanooga National Cemetery.[2][4]

Military service

Scott enlisted in the Army as a sergeant on 6 September 1861 at Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio. He was mustered into Company F of the 21st Ohio Infantry on 19 September 1861. He was one of 7 men executed by the Confederates for espionage. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on August 4, 1866.[2][3]

Scott's Medal of Honor citation reads:[5]

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Sergeant John Morehead Scott, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on April, 1862, while serving with Company G, 21st Ohio Infantry, in action during the Andrew's Raid in Georgia. Sergeant Scott was one of the 19 of 22 men (including two civilians) who, by direction of General Mitchell (or Buell), penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Georgia, and attempted to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta.

— E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War

References

  1. 1 2 "John Morehead Scott (1839-1862) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  2. 1 2 3 "John Morehead Scott | U.S. Civil War | U.S. Army | Medal of Honor Recipient". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  3. 1 2 "American Civil War Research Database". www.civilwardata.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  4. 1 2 G. Kurtz, Sr., Wilbur (April 1962). "The Andrews Raid". Railway & Locomotive Historical Society (R&LHS). 106: 15 – via JSTOR.
  5. ↑ "John Scott - Recipient -". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
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