David H. Helms

David H. Helms was an American soldier who served in the United States Army during the American Civil War. He became associated with Company B of the 83rd Indiana Infantry and is remembered for his participation in one of the most dangerous assaults of the Vicksburg Campaign. At the time of the action that earned him the Medal of Honor, Helms held the rank of Private. He later rose to the rank of First Sergeant, showing that his military career continued beyond the single event for which he became famous.

The 83rd Indiana Infantry served in the Western Theater of the Civil War, where Union forces were engaged in a series of campaigns aimed at gaining control of the Mississippi River and dividing the Confederacy. By 1863, the struggle for Vicksburg had become one of the most strategically important operations of the war.

Vicksburg, Mississippi, occupied a commanding position along the Mississippi River. Its Confederate defenses made it difficult for Union forces to gain complete control of the river. Major General Ulysses S. Grant eventually led a major campaign designed to isolate and capture the city.

After a series of successful movements and battles around Vicksburg, Union troops reached the main Confederate defensive lines. On May 22, 1863, Grant ordered a large-scale assault against the fortified positions.

Before the main attack, a special group of volunteers was organized for an extremely hazardous mission. These men were expected to advance ahead of the main body, cross exposed ground, approach the Confederate works, and help clear obstacles so that the larger attacking force could follow.

The volunteers knew that the assignment carried an exceptional risk of death or serious injury. The men who accepted the mission became known as the volunteer storming party.

David H. Helms, then serving as a Private in Company B, 83rd Indiana Infantry, volunteered for this dangerous assault.

On May 22, 1863, Helms advanced with the storming party toward the Confederate defenses at Vicksburg. The attacking soldiers came under intense fire as they moved across exposed terrain toward strongly prepared fortifications.

The Confederate defenders were positioned behind earthworks and other defensive obstacles, giving them a major advantage over troops attempting a frontal assault. Despite these conditions, Helms continued forward with the volunteers.

The assault ultimately failed to break the Confederate defensive line, and Union forces suffered heavily during the attack. The inability to capture the city through direct assaults led Grant to rely increasingly on siege operations.

Although the attack did not achieve its immediate objective, the courage of the volunteer storming party became one of the most notable episodes of the Vicksburg Campaign.

Helms’s conduct during the charge was later recognized by the United States government. His official Medal of Honor citation credited him with gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party.

For his actions on May 22, 1863, David H. Helms was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Medal of Honor had been created during the Civil War and became the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. The Army version was authorized in 1862, making Helms’s action part of the earliest period in the history of the decoration.

During the Civil War era, the Medal of Honor was used to recognize soldiers who demonstrated exceptional courage and distinguished conduct in combat. Many recipients were recognized for actions involving direct exposure to enemy fire, the capture of enemy colors, rescue operations, or extraordinary participation in dangerous assaults.

Helms’s award belonged directly to that tradition. His recognition was based on his willingness to participate in the storming-party charge and his gallantry during the assault.

The heroic action took place on May 22, 1863, but Helms did not receive his Medal of Honor immediately. His decoration was presented on July 26, 1894, more than three decades after the Battle of Vicksburg.

Such delays were not unusual among some Civil War Medal of Honor recipients. In a number of cases, acts of gallantry were reviewed and formally recognized years after the conflict had ended.

For the project’s historical medal classification, Helms’s decoration is represented as Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army. No additional clasp, star, bar, or device is associated with his Medal of Honor.

The Vicksburg Campaign continued after the failed assault. Rather than continuing repeated frontal attacks against the Confederate defenses, Grant tightened the siege around the city.

Union forces gradually cut off the Confederate garrison from supplies and reinforcement. After weeks of siege conditions, Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863.

The fall of Vicksburg was one of the most important Union victories of the war. It gave the Union effective control of the Mississippi River and helped divide the Confederacy geographically.

Helms’s Medal of Honor action therefore occurred during a campaign of enormous strategic significance. Although the storming-party assault itself did not capture the city, the courage displayed during the attack became part of the larger history of the Union effort against Vicksburg.

After serving as a Private, Helms later advanced to the rank of First Sergeant. This was a significant promotion within the enlisted structure of the nineteenth-century Army.

A First Sergeant held substantial responsibility within a company. The position involved helping maintain discipline, organization, accountability, and the daily functioning of the unit.

His advancement from Private to First Sergeant shows that his military identity should not be understood only through the Medal of Honor action. He continued to serve and eventually reached a senior enlisted leadership role.

The distinction between his two ranks is important. Helms was a Private during the May 22, 1863 Medal of Honor action, while First Sergeant was the highest verified rank he later attained.

David H. Helms’s military legacy is closely connected with Company B, 83rd Indiana Infantry, the Vicksburg Campaign, and the volunteer storming party of May 22, 1863.

His Medal of Honor stands as the principal recognition of his courage in battle. It commemorates his decision to take part in an extremely dangerous frontal assault against a fortified enemy position and his conduct while advancing under heavy fire.

His career also reflects the broader experience of Union infantrymen in the Western Theater, where prolonged campaigns, difficult marches, siege warfare, and direct assaults demanded endurance as well as courage.

David H. Helms is therefore remembered as a United States Army soldier who demonstrated gallantry at Vicksburg as a Private, earned the Medal of Honor for that action, and later rose to the senior enlisted rank of First Sergeant.