Frederick Füger
Encyclopedia
Frederick Füger was an enlisted man and officer in the U.S. Army. He received the Medal of Honor
for gallantry during the Battle of Gettysburg
while defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge
against Pickett's Charge
on July 3, 1863.
, and Nevada in 1860 against the Paiutes.
Füger’s five-year enlistment was set to expire in 1861 when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter
. He reenlisted and was promoted to First Sergeant of Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery under the command of Lt. Alonzo Cushing
.
During Pickett's Charge, as the Confederates were about the cross over the stonewall, Sgt. Füger was aiding his commander in directing the battery's fire when Cushing was killed. Füger assumed command of the battery and fired the remaining rounds of canister before fighting hand-to-hand to drive the Confederates off the field. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for this action. He also received a commission as Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army.
By his own account Füger was present at 63 Civil War battles and minor engagements being slightly wounded twice, once in the head at the Battle of White Oak Swamp
, June 30, 1862 and once in the left arm at the Battle of Antietam
, September 17, 1862.
Füger was breveted 1st Lieutenant U.S. Army for gallant and meritorious services in the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
, Virginia, March 31, 1865. Promoted to 1st Lieutenant 4th Artillery in December 1865. Promoted to Captain 4th Artillery, March 1887.
Promoted to Major 4th Artillery February 13, 1899. Retired for age being 64 years old in June 1900.
By an Act of Congress passed in April 1904 Frederick Füger, being a Civil War veteran, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Army.
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for gallantry during the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
while defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge
Cemetery Ridge
Cemetery Ridge is a geographic feature in Gettysburg National Military Park south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that figured prominently in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to July 3, 1863. It formed a primary defensive position for the Union Army during the battle, roughly the center of...
against Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Its futility was predicted by the charge's commander,...
on July 3, 1863.
Military service
Emigrating from his native Germany in 1853, Füger joined the 4th U.S. Artillery in 1856 and was assigned to Battery A. He saw service in Florida in 1856 against the Seminoles, Kansas in 1857, Utah in 1858 against the MormonsMormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
, and Nevada in 1860 against the Paiutes.
Füger’s five-year enlistment was set to expire in 1861 when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
. He reenlisted and was promoted to First Sergeant of Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery under the command of Lt. Alonzo Cushing
Alonzo Cushing
-References:* Brown, Kent Masterson. Cushing of Gettysburg. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1993. ISBN 0-8131-1837-9.-Further reading:* Haight, Theron Wilber. . Madison: Wisconsin History Commission, 1910. .* -External links:**...
.
During Pickett's Charge, as the Confederates were about the cross over the stonewall, Sgt. Füger was aiding his commander in directing the battery's fire when Cushing was killed. Füger assumed command of the battery and fired the remaining rounds of canister before fighting hand-to-hand to drive the Confederates off the field. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for this action. He also received a commission as Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army.
By his own account Füger was present at 63 Civil War battles and minor engagements being slightly wounded twice, once in the head at the Battle of White Oak Swamp
Battle of White Oak Swamp
The Battle of White Oak Swamp took place on June 30, 1862 in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. As the Union Army of the Potomac retreated southeast toward the James River, its rearguard under Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin stopped Maj. Gen. Thomas J...
, June 30, 1862 and once in the left arm at the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
, September 17, 1862.
Füger was breveted 1st Lieutenant U.S. Army for gallant and meritorious services in the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
The Battle of Dinwiddie Court House was a minor engagement in the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War that was the immediate prelude to the decisive Battle of Five Forks. On March 29, 1865, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan...
, Virginia, March 31, 1865. Promoted to 1st Lieutenant 4th Artillery in December 1865. Promoted to Captain 4th Artillery, March 1887.
Promoted to Major 4th Artillery February 13, 1899. Retired for age being 64 years old in June 1900.
By an Act of Congress passed in April 1904 Frederick Füger, being a Civil War veteran, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Army.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients
- List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F