Andrew Kuder

Andrew Kuder was a United States Army cavalry officer and Medal of Honor recipient who served with the Union forces during the American Civil War. Born around 1838 in Groveland, Livingston County, New York, he served in Company G of the 8th New York Cavalry. His highest recorded rank was captain, although he held the rank of second lieutenant during the action that earned him the nation’s highest military decoration.

Kuder’s regiment, also known as the “Rochester Regiment,” was a New York volunteer cavalry formation. Its history included extensive campaigning in Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. While the regiment participated in numerous engagements, its collective battle record does not establish Kuder’s personal presence at every action. His individually documented Medal of Honor service centres on the Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia, on March 2, 1865.

The battle occurred during the closing weeks of the Civil War. Major General Philip Sheridan’s Union cavalry had advanced south from Winchester through the Shenandoah Valley before turning east toward Waynesboro. There, Union troops encountered the remaining force of Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early. A Federal attack broke the Confederate position and scattered its defenders. More than 1,500 Confederate soldiers surrendered, while Early and a small number of his staff escaped.

During this engagement, Second Lieutenant Kuder captured an enemy flag. This was the specific achievement for which he received the Medal of Honor. His official citation is exceptionally brief, recording the deed simply as “Capture of flag.” It identifies his unit as Company G, 8th New York Cavalry, and places the action at Waynesboro on March 2, 1865.

The brevity of that citation leaves important details unrecorded. It does not identify the Confederate regiment to which the flag belonged, describe Kuder’s precise movements, or state whether he captured its bearer. His documented achievement can therefore be described confidently as a flag capture during the Union victory, without adding an unsupported account of a charge, personal combat, wounds, or prisoners taken.

The U.S. Army records March 26, 1865, as the issue date of Kuder’s Medal of Honor, twenty-four days after the action. This date should be distinguished from March 2, when he performed the deed. The award was made during his lifetime. One Medal of Honor is confirmed in the records reviewed; no additional award, clasp, or device has been established for his medal entry.

Although Kuder’s highest recorded rank was captain, his Medal of Honor citation preserves his battlefield identity as a second lieutenant. Both ranks belong in an accurate account of his life: captain describes his highest recorded military rank, while second lieutenant describes his status at Waynesboro.

Kuder died on April 30, 1899, in South Livonia, New York, and was buried in Arnold Cemetery in Conesus. The available records provide limited detail about his civilian life after the war. His enduring place in American military history rests on a clearly documented act at Waynesboro: the capture of a flag that brought formal recognition through the Medal of Honor.