Newton H. Hall
Encyclopedia
Newton H. Hall was an infantryman in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. He received the Medal of Honor
for gallantry at the Battle of Franklin
during the 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign
.
in rural Portage County, Ohio
. He was the son of William and Bethiah (Palmer) Hall. His grandparents had moved to Ohio from New England
following the American Revolutionary War
.
Following the outbreak of the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln
's call for volunteers, he enlisted in his hometown in the 104th Ohio Infantry
on August 4, 1862. Hall served as a private
and then as a corporal in Company I. The regiment moved to Covington, Kentucky
, on September 1, 1862, in preparation for the Defense of Cincinnati
against a threatened Confederate
invasion by troops under Edmund Kirby Smith
. It was involved in the subsequent Skirmish at Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
.
Hall and his comrades in the 104th OVI spent 1863 in Kentucky, and then moved to East Tennessee
until April 1864. They were reassigned to duty as part of the XXIII Corps
in Georgia
, and Tennessee in late 1864. He captured a Confederate
flag from the division
of Patrick Cleburne
during the fighting at Franklin in November; he was awarded the Medal of Honor a few months later. The regiment subsequently served in Washington, D.C.
and North Carolina
. Hall was mustered out of the army on June 14, 1865.
After the war, Hall returned to Ohio and engaged in farming in Brimfield Township. He married Stella Woodward of Kent
on April 15, 1874, and raised two children. He joined the Masons
. In 1881, he and his family moved to Kent, Ohio
, and Hall embarked on a career as a businessman, holding an interest in a planing mill
and a lumberyard in nearby Boardman
.
He is buried in Standing Rock Cemetery in Kent, Ohio.
. Date of issue: February 13, 1865.
Citation:
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...
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...
. He received 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 gallantry at the Battle of Franklin
Battle of Franklin II
The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, at Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee conducted...
during the 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign
Franklin-Nashville Campaign
The Franklin-Nashville Campaign, also known as Hood's Tennessee Campaign, was a series of battles in the Western Theater, conducted from September 18 to December 27, 1864, in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civil War. The Confederate Army of Tennessee under Lt....
.
Biography
Hall was born, raised and educated in BrimfieldBrimfield, Ohio
Brimfield is a census-designated place in Portage County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a population of 3,248. It is located in the central part of Brimfield Township , a rural area between the Ohio cities of Akron and Kent with light industry, strip-malls, subdivisions,...
in rural Portage County, Ohio
Portage County, Ohio
Portage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 152,061 at the 2000 Census and 161,419 at the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Ravenna. Portage County is named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers...
. He was the son of William and Bethiah (Palmer) Hall. His grandparents had moved to Ohio from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
following the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Following the outbreak of the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's call for volunteers, he enlisted in his hometown in the 104th Ohio Infantry
104th Ohio Infantry
The 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War. It played a conspicuous role at the Battle of Franklin during the 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign, where six members later received the Medal of Honor, most for capturing enemy...
on August 4, 1862. Hall served as a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
and then as a corporal in Company I. The regiment moved to Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
, on September 1, 1862, in preparation for the Defense of Cincinnati
Defense of Cincinnati
The Defense of Cincinnati occurred during what is now referred to as the Confederate Heartland Offensive of American Civil War from September 1 through September 13, 1862, when Cincinnati, Ohio, was threatened by Confederate forces....
against a threatened Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
invasion by troops under Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith was a career United States Army officer and educator. He served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy after the fall of Vicksburg.After the conflict ended Smith...
. It was involved in the subsequent Skirmish at Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Hall and his comrades in the 104th OVI spent 1863 in Kentucky, and then moved to East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
until April 1864. They were reassigned to duty as part of the XXIII Corps
XXIII Corps (ACW)
XXIII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Western Theater as part of the Army of the Ohio.The corps was organized in April 1863 by order of the departmental commander, Ambrose E. Burnside...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Tennessee in late 1864. He captured a Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
flag from the division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of Patrick Cleburne
Patrick Cleburne
Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was an Irish American soldier, best known for his service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, where he rose to the rank of major general....
during the fighting at Franklin in November; he was awarded the Medal of Honor a few months later. The regiment subsequently served in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Hall was mustered out of the army on June 14, 1865.
After the war, Hall returned to Ohio and engaged in farming in Brimfield Township. He married Stella Woodward of Kent
Kent, Ohio
Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
on April 15, 1874, and raised two children. He joined the Masons
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
. In 1881, he and his family moved to Kent, Ohio
Kent, Ohio
Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
, and Hall embarked on a career as a businessman, holding an interest in a planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
and a lumberyard in nearby Boardman
Boardman, Ohio
Boardman is a census-designated place in Boardman Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, just south of Youngstown. Boardman is considered to be a moderately affluent community and is one of two major retail hubs in the greater Youngstown area...
.
He is buried in Standing Rock Cemetery in Kent, Ohio.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I. Place and date: At Franklin, Tenn., November 30, 1864. Entered service at: ---. Birth: Portage County, OhioPortage County, Ohio
Portage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 152,061 at the 2000 Census and 161,419 at the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Ravenna. Portage County is named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers...
. Date of issue: February 13, 1865.
Citation:
Capture of flag, believed to have belonged to Stewart's Corps (C.S.A.).
See also
- List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: G–L
External links