George W. Harris was a Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 soldier during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor

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 his actions at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...

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Harris died at age 84 or 85 and was buried at Union Cemetery

Union Cemetery (Bellefonte, Pennsylvania)

Union Cemetery located on East Howard Street in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania was established in 1795. Burials occurred as early as 1808, and the cemetery itself was chartered in 1856. It is the final resting place of Bellefonte's founding families, Pennsylvania Governors and their wives, U.S...

 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...

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Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Spotsylvania, Va., 12 May 1864. Entered service at: Bellefonte, Pa. Birth: Schuylkill, Pa. Date of issue: 1 December 1864.

Citation:

Capture of flag, wresting it from the color bearer and shooting an officer who attempted to regain it.

See also

• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: G–L