Allen Tucker (Medal of Honor)

On 2 April 1865, during the assault on Petersburg, Sergeant Allen Tucker helped carry the Union attack through the Confederate defenses. His Medal of Honor recognized extraordinary courage during the final operations of the Civil War.

Tucker was born about 1838 at Lyme, Connecticut, and entered the Union service from Connecticut. He served in the 10th Connecticut Infantry. During the Third Battle of Petersburg, his regiment advanced against Confederate works as Union forces sought to break the lines protecting Richmond and Petersburg.

The surviving award record identifies Tucker as a sergeant and credits him with conspicuous conduct during the fighting at Petersburg. The action occurred only one week before the Confederate evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg and less than two weeks before General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox.

Tucker's Medal of Honor was presented on 10 May 1894. He returned to civilian life after the war and died on 22 February 1903. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut.

His story is preserved in a short but important record: a Connecticut volunteer standing with his regiment during the Union breakthrough that brought the Civil War to its final days.

Sources: Congressional Medal of Honor Society: https://www.cmohs.org/ Military Times Hall of Valor: https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/