Andrew J. Widick

On May 22, 1863, Vicksburg, Mississippi became the scene of one of the Union Army's most dangerous volunteer assaults. Private Andrew J. Widick went forward with the storming party, an act later recognized with the Medal of Honor.

Andrew J. Widick was born March 27, 1842, in Macon County, Illinois. During the period relevant to his Medal of Honor, he served as Private with Company B, 116th Illinois Infantry.

On May 22, 1863, at Vicksburg, Mississippi, he performed the action that led to the award. The surviving record fixes the core event clearly and allows the account to be told without adding unsupported detail.

Medal of Honor Citation

Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."

The Medal of Honor was presented August 11, 1894. He died January 24, 1929, at Bertrand, Nebraska. He was buried in Highland Cemetery in Bertrand, Nebraska.

His record is strongest when kept close to the documented action: the unit, place, date, and conduct for which the Medal of Honor was awarded.