William h barnes biography of nancy

This article is about the Medal of Honor recipient. For other people with the same name, see William Barnes (disambiguation).

United States Army Medal of Honor recipient

William Henry Barnes (c.

1840 or 1845-December 24, 1866) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of the Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration. He was African American.

William h barnes biography of nancy

Biography

Barnes was born and raised in St. Mary's County Maryland and worked as a free tenant farmer there before enlisting in the Army from Norfolk, Virginia, on February 11, 1864. He joined as a private into Company C of the 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment.

His enlistment papers record his age as 23, implying a birth year of 1840 or 1841, but other sources give his birth as 1845.^[1]

At the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, on September 29, 1864, Barnes' regiment was among a division of black troops assigned to attack the center of the Confe