Charles Breyer

He Risked His Life to Save a Wounded Comrade

Charles Breyer was an English-born Union Army soldier who received the United States Medal of Honor for an extraordinary act of bravery during the American Civil War. Serving as a sergeant in Company I of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry, Breyer risked his own life to protect a wounded fellow soldier from an unexploded artillery shell at Rappahannock Station, Virginia, on August 23, 1862. His actions earned him the nation's highest military decoration more than three decades after the engagement.

Born on June 19, 1844, in England, Breyer later moved to the United States and entered military service from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The surviving biographical records provide limited information about his early childhood, family background, and the circumstances of his immigration. His documented military history places him among the Pennsylvania volunteers who served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Breyer served with Company I of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry and held the rank of sergeant. His Medal of Honor citation identifies him as a participant in the fighting at Rappahannock Station, Virginia, on August 23, 1862. It was during this engagement that he performed the act of courage for which he would later receive national recognition.

During the fighting, an artillery shell struck a fellow Union soldier, severing the man's arm. The shell had not exploded, leaving an immediate danger to the wounded soldier and anyone nearby. Recognizing the threat, Breyer voluntarily approached the unexploded projectile despite the personal risk involved.

Rather than abandoning the dangerous position, Breyer picked up the shell and threw it away. His quick and deliberate action removed the immediate threat of an explosion near the wounded man. The official Medal of Honor citation specifically credited his intervention with likely saving his comrade's life.

Breyer's conduct was remarkable because he willingly exposed himself to the possibility of an explosion while assisting a soldier who had already suffered a devastating injury. His recognized achievement was not the capture of an enemy position or the seizure of a battle flag, but a direct act of personal courage undertaken to protect another human life.

Although the incident occurred on August 23, 1862, Breyer did not receive the Medal of Honor until July 8, 1896. The recognition came nearly 34 years after his actions at Rappahannock Station. His award formally acknowledged the exceptional bravery he had demonstrated as a Union Army sergeant during the Civil War.

The United States Army's official citation confirms that Breyer voluntarily removed an unexploded shell at great personal risk, probably saving the life of the wounded soldier. This documented action remains the defining event of his military record and the foundation of his historical recognition.

The available recipient records do not provide a comprehensive account of Breyer's subsequent military assignments or civilian occupation following the war. Consequently, the details of his later professional and personal activities cannot be established with certainty from these sources.

Charles Breyer died on September 9, 1914, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, at the age of 70. He was buried at Limerick Church Burial Ground in Limerick, Pennsylvania, where his burial is recorded by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Breyer's legacy rests on an act of courage that placed another soldier's safety above his own. At Rappahannock Station, he faced the danger of an unexploded artillery shell and acted to protect a severely wounded comrade. His willingness to accept that risk earned him the Medal of Honor and preserved his name in the documented history of American military valor.

More than a century after his death, Charles Breyer is remembered as a Union Army sergeant whose heroism demonstrated that extraordinary bravery on the battlefield could be expressed through a single decisive act to save another person's life.