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Writer's pictureCathryn Stanley

BELMONT COUNTY MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS



HENRY CAPEHART

BRIDGEPORT, OHIO


U.S. Civil War - U.S. Army


DETAILS

  • RANK: COLONEL (HIGHEST RANK: MAJOR GENERAL)

  • CONFLICT/ERA: U.S. CIVIL WAR

  • UNIT/COMMAND: 1ST WEST VIRGINIA CAVALRY

  • MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: MAY 22, 1864

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: GREENBRIER RIVER, WEST VIRGINIA, USA

CITATION

Saved, under fire, the life of a drowning soldier.



NATHAN HUNTLEY EDGERTON

BORN: AUGUST 25, 1838, BARNESVILLE


U.S. Civil War - U.S. Army


DETAILS

  • RANK: FIRST LIEUTENANT & ADJUTANT (HIGHEST RANK: CAPTAIN)

  • CONFLICT/ERA: U.S. CIVIL WAR

  • UNIT/COMMAND: 6TH U.S. COLORED INFANTRY

  • MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: SEPTEMBER 29, 1864

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: CHAPIN'S FARM, VIRGINIA, USA

CITATION

Took up the flag after three color bearers had been shot down and bore it forward, though himself wounded.


SAMUEL MCCONNELL

BORN: JUNE 1, 1830, BELMONT COUNTY


U.S. Civil War - U.S. Army

DETAILS

  • RANK: CAPTAIN

  • CONFLICT/ERA: U.S. CIVIL WAR

  • UNIT/COMMAND: COMPANY H, 119TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY

  • MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: APRIL 9, 1865

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: FORT BLAKELY, ALABAMA, USA

CITATION

While leading his company in an assault, Capt. McConnell braved an intense fire that mowed down his unit. Upon reaching the breastworks, he found that he had only one member of his company with him, Pvt. Wagner. He was so close to an enemy gun that the blast knocked him down a ditch. Getting up, he entered the gun pit, the gun crew fleeing before him. About 30 paces away he saw a Confederate flag bearer and guard which he captured with the last shot in his pistol.



SYLVESTER ANTOLAK


BORN: SEPTEMBER 10, 1916, CLAIRSVILLE


World War II - U.S. Army

DETAILS

  • RANK: SERGEANT

  • CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II

  • UNIT/COMMAND: COMPANY B, 15TH INFANTRY, 3D INFANTRY DIVISION

  • MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: MAY 24, 1944

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: NEAR CISTERNA DI LITTORIA, ITALY

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

  • DIED: MAY 24, 1944, NEAR CISTERNA DI LITTORIA, ITALY

  • BURIED: A.B.M.C. SICILY-ROME CEMETERY (C-12-13), NETTUNO, ITALY

  • PRESENTATION DATE & DETAILS: NOVEMBER 1, 1945 PRESENTED TO HIS MOTHER, MARY ANTOLAK, AT ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OHIO

CITATION

Near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, he charged 200 yards over flat, coverless terrain to destroy an enemy machine-gun nest during the second day of the offensive which broke through the German cordon of steel around the Anzio beachhead. Fully 30 yards in advance of his squad, he ran into withering enemy machine-gun, machine-pistol and rifle fire. Three times he was struck by bullets and knocked to the ground, but each time he struggled to his feet to continue his relentless advance. With one shoulder deeply gashed and his right arm shattered, he continued to rush directly into the enemy fire concentration with his submachine gun wedged under his uninjured arm until within 15 yards of the enemy strongpoint, where he opened fire at deadly close range, killing two Germans and forcing the remaining 10 to surrender. He reorganized his men and, refusing to seek medical attention so badly needed, chose to lead the way toward another strongpoint 100 yards distant. Utterly disregarding the hail of bullets concentrated upon him, he had stormed ahead nearly three-fourths of the space between strongpoints when he was instantly killed by hostile enemy fire. Inspired by his example, his squad went on to overwhelm the enemy troops. By his supreme sacrifice, superb fighting courage, and heroic devotion to the attack, Sgt. Antolak was directly responsible for eliminating 20 Germans, capturing an enemy machine gun, and clearing the path for his company to advance.



EMILE DELEAU JR.


BORN: JUNE 28, 1923, LANSING


World War II - U.S. Army

DETAILS

  • RANK: SERGEANT

  • CONFLICT/ERA: WORLD WAR II

  • UNIT/COMMAND: COMPANY A, 142D INFANTRY, 36TH INFANTRY DIVISION

  • MILITARY SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. ARMY

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: FEBRUARY 1 - 2, 1945

  • MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: OBERHOFFEN, FRANCE

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

  • AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY: YES

  • DIED: FEBRUARY 2, 1945, FRANCE

  • BURIED: LINWOOD CEMETERY (MH) (D), BLAINE, OH, UNITED STATES

CITATION

He led a squad in the night attack on Oberhoffen, France, where fierce house-to-house fighting took place. After clearing one building of opposition, he moved his men toward a second house from which heavy machine-gun fire came. He courageously exposed himself to hostile bullets and, firing his submachine gun as he went, advanced steadily toward the enemy position until close enough to hurl grenades through a window, killing three Germans and wrecking their gun. His progress was stopped by heavy rifle and machine-gun fire from another house. Sgt. Deleau dashed through the door with his gun blazing. Within, he captured 10 Germans. The squad then took up a position for the night and awaited daylight to resume the attack. At dawn of 2 February, Sgt. Deleau pressed forward with his unit, killing two snipers as he advanced to a point where machine-gun fire from a house barred the way. Despite vicious small-arms fire, Sgt. Deleau ran across an open area to reach the rear of the building, where he destroyed one machine gun and killed its two operators with a grenade. He worked to the front of the structure and located a second machine gun. Finding it impossible to toss a grenade into the house from his protected position, he fearlessly moved away from the building and was about to hurl his explosive when he was instantly killed by a burst from the gun he sought to knock out. With magnificent courage and daring aggressiveness, Sgt. Deleau cleared four well-defended houses of Germans, inflicted severe losses on the enemy, and at the sacrifice of his own life aided his battalion to reach its objective with a minimum of casualties.



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