Submit_Medal_of

Submitted by SGT.John E.Luerding.

Medal of Honor recognized after being lost for eighty-two years

This is a story of a soldier who served his country and wouldn't be
recognized until eighty-two years after his death.
In mid afternoon of April 9th 1865, 13,000 Federal soldiers were poised to
assault the breastworks erected by a garrison of just about 4,000
Confederate soldiers upper Alabama.
Commanding for the Federal soldiers was Major General E.R.S. Candby. For the
Southern troops Command fell to Major General Dabney H.Maury. Both officers
were veterans of the preceding four years that tore the nation known as the
United States apart.
Positioned near read-out number seven was a Pvt.John H.Callahan of the 122nd
Illinois volunteers. Pvt.Callahan was like any other soldier. He had his
reasons for being in the war. Any of which were heard by others. "Preserve
the Union." "Free the slaves." "I don't want to miss out." The patriotism
ran through his blood no matter what the reason. He was also not a well
soldier. Suffering from what we call arthritis and asthma, He stood his
watch like so many of his time. Never faltering.
In the late afternoon of April 9th 1865 Major General Candby ordered an all
out assault along the five mile length of Confederate breastworks.
Pvt.Callahan pushed himself up and over the edge charging with his company.
The meager four thousand Confederate soldiers fought as best they could but
could not withstand the superiority in numbers. Pvt.Callahan himself found
himself in the thickest of fighting in the battle for Fort Blakely.
Capturing a Confederate battle flag, he fought on until the guns of the
enemy were silent.
The butchery of the battle was one sided..Over two thousand Confederate
soldiers lay dead. Two hundred taken capture with the rest in flight across
the Tennessee River. Slightly over six hundred Federal troops dotted the
ground with blood of their own.
In July of the same year Pvt.John H.Callahan was the only enlisted soldier
out of fourteen men awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle
of Fort Blakely Alabama.
After the war was over, John H.Callahan moved to Manhattan Kansas where he
met and married a woman by the name of Lucinda. In 1907 he would purchase
three burial plots on the day of his wife's death. She was buried in the
Sunset cemetery inside the community of Manhattan Kansas.
Seven years later John H.Callahan would pass on suddenly in his home of a
heart attack. During the time of his death, His son James Callahan was
undergoing perjurer charges stemming from a criminal trial involving an
unknown woman in a bootlegging operation. Squandering the family savings
and being found guilty, James was sentenced to an undetermined amount of
time in Jail. His father John H.Callahan was there for never afforded a
head stone. Pvt.Callahan never received a hero's burial accorded and
befitting a Medal of Honor recipient.
Eighty-two years later in the summer of 2000, I befriended a fellow Civil
War enthusiast and author who for professional reasons will remain
anonymous. He relayed to me a rumor that a Medal of Honor recipient was
buried some where in the Manhattan community. The only clue was the name of
John Callahan's wife's first name. Lucinda. Three months of intensive
research by myself and my friend later culminated in verification of his
burial location next to his wife.
We pooled our information together,(Burial records, Unit records (provided
by the Civil War dept records of Virginia), Riley county records (provided
by the Riley County Historical Society) and GAR records (provided by the
Dept.Secretary for the Suns of Union Veterans in Kansas). This information
was then sent up with a request to the Department of Veterans Affairs for a
full Medal of Honor head stone.
During the waiting time for confirmation on the head stone, Myself and Dean
Speaks( Dept.Secretary for the Son's of Union Veterans of Kansas) organized
a full military honors ceremony. To included a bugler attired in period
uniform, A howitzer to render salute to the fallen soldier and a flag detail
provided by one of the Military Police Units from near by Fort Riley.
When the head stone arrived, Dean Speaks (being a home construction worker)
placed and seated the headstone. The day for the ceremony was set for 2001
Memorial Day.
Several things occurred before the ceremony took place however. I was put
into contact with a living descendant of John H.Callahan. My own attempt at
trying to locate one met with negative results. However the power of the
media did the job. The news was broken by the Fort Riley Post and was
followed up by several civilian news papers. One such paper caught the eye
of Louis Lewis. A seventy-three year old woman who lays claim to being the
niece of John H.Callahan. She spotted the paper because of John's picture
being on the front page. You see she owns the original photo.
I called her on the phone and talked with her in great length and learned
that John H.Callahan had a great great grandson named Jack Callahan living
in Topeka Kansas. I was overjoyed. I contacted Jack and informed him of
everything that we had done and would like to meet him to discuss his
receiving of the burial flag of his ancestor at the ceremony.
Several meetings later, the day had come. Descendants from several states
numbering a good ninety to just over a hundred appeared. The Interim
director for the Fort Blakely National Battlefield who was invited was also
there.
By days end, the ceremony went off with out a hitch. Appearing as guest
speaker was Congressman Jim Ryan who gave an inspiring speech about
soldier’s duties past and present. The howitzer fired off its salute. The
flag was folded and presented to Jack Callahan, who then donated it to the
Fort Blakely Battlefield director for display with a full portrait of John
H.Callahan also donated by the Riley County Historical Society.
Pvt.John H.Callahan would no longer go unnoticed and would always, always be
remembered from that Memorial Day into eternity.
From one Noncommissioned Officer of today to a Private of years past. John
H.Callahan thank you and God bless you. Rest a soldiers rest. You have
earned it.