DOB/DOD: February 18, 1844 (North Haven, CT) – February 14, 1925 (Smithville, NY); 80 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Emma L. Gibbs (1846-1872) on February 2, 1865, in Washington, DC.
CHILDREN: Three daughters, Maude I. Jackson Crumb (1866-1953), Emma G. Jacson Burch (1868-1958), and Harriet W. (1871-1872).
ENLISTMENT: August 29, 1861, in New Haven, Connecticut.
IMPRISONMENT: Imprisoned on June 16, 1862, at James Island, South Carolina.
DISCHARGE: Mustered out on October 19, 1862, due to a wound to the elbow by a canister shot.
FAMILY: Born to Benjamin H. (1813-1888) and Harriet Bradley Jackson (1816-1903). One brother, William “Willie” E. (1854-1906).
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING: Civil War
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army
UNIT: Company F, 7th Connecticut Infantry
DATE OF ISSUE AND PRESENTATION: 1863
AGE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 18
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Frederick Randolph Jackson, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 16 June 1862, while serving with Company F, 7th Connecticut Infantry, in action at James Island, South Carolina. Having his left arm shot away in a charge on the enemy, First Sergeant Jackson continued on duty, taking part in a second and a third charge until he fell exhausted from the loss of blood.
From Beyer, W. F., & Keydel, O. F. (2000). Deeds of valor: How America’s Civil War Heroes won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Smithmark Publishers.
When the Seventh Connecticut Infantry was storming Fort Lamar, James Island, South Carolina, at daybreak June 16, 1862, Sergeant Jackson was in command of Company F. He was struck above the elbow with a canister shot from an eight-inch columbiad, and his left arm was shattered. With his right hand, Jackson seized his splintered arm, pressed it tightly to prevent, as much as possible, the flow of blood, and dashed forward with his men. The regiment retired, rallied again, and went forward on the second charge, only to be again repulsed. Once more, the regiment rallied, and in this charge, Sergeant Jackson fell, fainting from the loss of blood. He lay on the field from five o’clock in the morning until half-past ten at night, only a hundred feet from the fort, neither Federals nor Confederates daring to succor their wounded, so fierce was the firing. During more than seventeen hours, he remained unable to move, all the while exposed to the fire from the Union forces but too near the fort to be in the range of the enemy’s missiles.
Referring to this part of his experience, he writes:
“Of the fourteen comrades who came under the Confederate surgeon’s knife as prisoners, only myself and one other lived to reach home. I was put under the influence of chloroform, and when I became conscious again, I discovered two surgeon’s knives and another instrument lying across my breast. Among those in the room were General Gist, commanding the Confederates, and the colonel in charge of the fort. On regaining consciousness, someone asked me:
“How many troops have your forces got?”
“Go over and count them,” I replied.
“We will go over, and we shall get them all,” said he.
“The surgeon was Doctor Bellinger, the son of one of the most famous surgeons in the South at that time. He said to me:
“The Southern Confederacy is not abundantly supplied with chloroform and will not throw any away on you.”
“Before beginning to amputate my arm, they divided some of my clothing among themselves. The first thing taken was a pair of new boots which had been sent from home by my father. My uniform was also disposed of, and they gave me a shabby suit of clothes in case I should ever need any more. Then the surgeon proceeded to cut off my arm, and, true to his word, he did not waste any of the Southern Confederacy’s chloroform on me.”
“I was made acquainted with six of the Southern prisons and was graduated from Libby [prison] October 14, 1862.”
From “New York’s North Country and the Civil War: Soldiers, Civilians and Legacies” Shampine, D. (2012)
As he was being discharged from the Army, he met the president, who had been informed by other soldiers of Mr. Jackson’s heroics and his injury. In a letter written by Mr. Jackson nearly three decades later, he quoted the president. “I want to give this brave boy a Medal of Honor, and I wish you would personally see that he has one,” Mr. Lincoln said to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Then, dismissing the soldier, Mr. Lincoln promised him a commission.”
Buried in Smithville Cemetery, north side of County Route 71 (Penney Road), just past the intersection of Sand Road, Smithville, New York. Photos from FindAGrave.com.
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