Albert A. Clapp

Albert Adams Clapp was born on 1 May 1841 at Pompey, New York. He grew up in Mentor, Ohio, where his father was a clergyman. In 1861 he enlisted in the 2nd Ohio Cavalry, beginning his service as a private and eventually becoming first sergeant of Company G. [1, 2]

On 6 April 1865, at Deatonsville during the fighting at Sailor’s Creek, Virginia, Clapp captured the battle flag of the Confederate 8th Florida Infantry. His complete Medal of Honor citation reads: “Capture of battle flag of the 8th Florida Infantry (C.S.A.).” The award was dated 24 April 1865. He later reached the rank of second lieutenant; First Sergeant was his rank at the time of the action. [1]

After leaving the Army, Clapp returned to Mentor and took up farming. In 1867 he married Cynthia Bissell of Painesville, and they raised five sons. The family left Mentor in 1873 and eventually settled in California. A history of Los Angeles and its surrounding communities records his work in farming and business, followed by service as Alhambra’s first city clerk from 1903 until his death. [2, 3]

Clapp died at Alhambra in May 1911, shortly after his seventieth birthday. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records 8 May as the date, also supported by the death-certificate entry in the Lake County Historical Society’s catalogue. His story connects a Civil War cavalryman’s flag capture with a later life of farming, family and local government service. [1, 3, 4]

Sources [1] Congressional Medal of Honor Society: https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/albert-a-clapp [2] City of Mentor, Hometown Hero Albert Clapp: https://cityofmentor.com/hometown-hero-albert-clapp/ [3] History of California and an Extended History of Los Angeles and Environs, vol. II, p. 191: https://cagenweb.org/books/History%20of%20California%20and%20an%20Extended%20History%20of%20Los%20Angeles%20%26%20Environs%20vol%20II.pdf [4] Lake County Historical Society catalogue, Albert A. Clapp file 2012.800.2206: https://usgenwebsites.org/OHLake/societies/lchsnamecatalog.html