Sylvester Hopkins Martin (August 9, 1841 – September 25, 1927) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the August 19, 1864 Battle of Weldon Railroad (aka Globe Tavern), Virginia.
Sylvester H. Martin | |
|---|---|
 Sylvester Hopkins Martin 1905 | |
| Birth name | Sylvester Hopkins Martin |
| Born | August 9, 1841 Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 1927 (aged 86) Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Place of burial | Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance |  United States of AmericaUnion |
| Service/ |  United States ArmyUnion Army |
| Years of service | 1861 - 1865 |
| Rank |  1st Lieutenant |
| Unit |  88th Pennsylvania Infantry |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah Sykes (m. 1864–1877)Mary E. Westerman
(m. 1879; died 1896) |
| Children | 5 |
| Signature | _(cropped).png){kind=small} |
Early life edit
Sylvester Hopkins Martin was born on August 9, 1841, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, to Sarah (née March) and Michael Martin. At a young age, his family moved to Philadelphia. He attended a school on Lombard Street and east of 17th Street and the Southwest Grammar School. In 1850, at the age of about 9, he left his studies and worked at the brickyard of Thomas Irvin. He worked in the textile mills during the winter up to the war.[1]
Military career edit
Martin joined as a Private in Company A, 23rd Pennsylvania (Three Month) Volunteer Infantry on April 21, 1861, serving in Maryland and Virginia skirmishing against the rebels before mustering out on July 31, 1861. Committed to the cause the Union, he rejoined as a Private in Company F, 88th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on September 14, 1861. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on November 11, 1862. Transferred to Company K on January 1, 1863, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on February 23, 1863. He was commissioned Captain on January 30, 1865.
He was wounded at Antietam on September 17, 1862.[1] At Chancellorsville, on Sunday, May 3, he was recognized for leading a party of twenty picked men into no man's land to recover entrenching tools that had been abandoned there on Friday and Saturday.[2] At Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, he commanded Company K in the defense of Oak Hill where they inflicted severe casualties on Brig. Gen. Alfred Iverson's brigade.[3] He commanded Company K through the February 7, 1865 Battle of Hatcher's Run and was shot near his right shoulder.[4][1] He received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Weldon Railroad, or Globe Tavern on August 19, 1864.[5] Due to the severity of his wounds received at Hatcher's Run, he never actually mustered as a captain before mustering out on June 7, 1865.[6][7]
He received his Medal of Honor on April 5, 1894. He was elected as a companion of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
Later career edit
After the war, Martin returned to Pennsylvania. In 1866, he worked as a clerk in the Cold Spring Ice and Coal Company. He then worked in the textile mill of James Erben. He worked as an inspector for the health department for five years. He became chief of the Bureau of Street Cleaning in 1888.[1]
Personal life edit
Martin married Sarah Sykes on March 7, 1864. She died in 1877. He married Mary E. Westerman on November 27, 1879. She died in 1896. He had five children, Hannah S., Sylvester H. Jr., George S., Sarah Leona and Laura M.[1] He lived in Logan, Philadelphia.[1]
He died at age 86 and was buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia.[7]
Medal of Honor citation edit
Martin's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Sylvester Hopkins Martin, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 19 August 1864, while serving with Company K, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry, in action at Weldon Railroad, Virginia. Lieutenant Martin gallantly made a most dangerous reconnaissance, discovering the position of the enemy and enabling the division to repulse an attack made in strong force.[6][7]
See also edit
Notes/references edit
- ^ a b c d e f PPP.
- ^ Vautier (1894), p. 99.
- ^ Vautier (1894), pp. 105–109
Iverson's attacks fared poorly against the 88th and the five other veteran regiments in the brigade of Brig. Gen. Henry Baxter, manning a line in a shallow inverted V, facing north on the ridge behind the Mummasburg Road. Iverson failed to perform even a rudimentary reconnaissance and sent his men forward blindly while he stayed in the rear. The 88th alongside its brigade mates were concealed in woods behind that stone wall and rose to fire withering volleys from less than 100 yards (91 m) away, creating over 800 casualties among the 1,350 North Carolinians. Stories are told about groups of dead bodies lying in almost parade-ground formations, heels of their boots perfectly aligned. - ^ Vautier (1894), p. 206.
- ^ Vautier (1894), p. 198.
- ^ a b CMOHS.
- ^ a b c VC-MoH.
Bibliography edit
- Vautier, John D (1894). History of the 88th Pennsylvania Volunteers in the War for the Union, 1861-1865 (pdf) (1st ed.). Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott Co. pp. 99, 108, 188, 198, 203, 206, 216. OCLC 700958813. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- "Sylvester Hopkins Martin". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Congressional Medal of Honor Society. February 22, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- "Sylvester Hopkins Martin". The Wall of Valor Project. Hall of Valor: The Military Medals Database. August 8, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- "Sylvester Hopkins Martin". Medal of Honor Recipients. The Comprehensive Guide to the Victoria & George Cross. December 15, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- Prominent and Progressive Pennsylvanians of the Nineteenth Century. Vol. 3. The Record Publishing Company. 1898. pp. 247–249. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Archive.org.
External links edit
