August Kauss

At Five Forks on April 1, 1865, Corporal August Kauss captured a Confederate battle flag during the Union victory that helped force the evacuation of Petersburg. He received the Medal of Honor little more than a month later.

August Kauss was born November 6, 1843, in Germany. During the period relevant to his Medal of Honor, he served as Corporal with Company H, 15th New York Heavy Artillery.

On April 1, 1865, at Five Forks, Virginia, 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

Capture of battle flag.

The Medal of Honor was presented May 10, 1865. He died April 27, 1913, at Hurley, New York. He was buried in Hurley Cemetery in Hurley, New York.

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.