Alfred J. Sellers

At Gettysburg, Alfred J. Sellers led the 90th Pennsylvania into a storm of fire when hesitation could have broken the regiment. His Medal of Honor citation credits him with voluntarily leading his men to a position from which the enemy was driven back.

Sellers was born on 2 March 1836 at Plumsteadville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He entered the Union service during the Civil War and became an officer of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. On 1 July 1863, the opening day of the Battle of Gettysburg, he led his regiment under intense fire and helped establish the position from which Confederate forces were repulsed.

The action was recognized with the Medal of Honor, presented on 21 July 1894. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records Sellers's wartime rank as major and his later highest rank as brevet colonel. The award was credited to Philadelphia.

Sellers survived the war and remained connected with Philadelphia, where he died on 20 September 1908. He was buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery. The surviving record is concise, but its central image is unmistakable: an officer choosing to move forward with his regiment while enemy fire threatened to stop it.

Sources: Congressional Medal of Honor Society: https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/alfred-j-sellers