Edward Burson Spalding

Edward Burson Spalding was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War whose courage at the Battle of Shiloh earned him the Medal of Honor. He served in Company E, 52nd Illinois Infantry, and held the rank of Sergeant at the time of the action for which he was later recognized. Over the course of his military career, he advanced to the rank of First Lieutenant, reflecting continued responsibility and leadership after the battle that made him historically significant.

Spalding’s defining military action took place on April 6, 1862, at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, during the Battle of Shiloh. Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles fought in the early period of the Civil War and demonstrated just how costly the conflict would become.

Union forces were positioned near Pittsburg Landing when Confederate troops launched a powerful surprise attack. The fighting quickly became chaotic, with regiments struggling to maintain formation while artillery, musket fire, smoke, and confusion spread across the battlefield.

At the time, Spalding was serving as a Sergeant in the 52nd Illinois Infantry. As a Sergeant, he carried important responsibilities for maintaining discipline, helping direct enlisted soldiers, and supporting officers during combat.

During the fighting at Shiloh, Spalding was wounded twice.

Despite suffering two separate wounds, he refused to leave the battlefield.

Instead, he remained with his unit and continued fighting until the end of the day’s combat.

This decision demonstrated extraordinary courage and determination.

For a soldier already wounded to continue serving under intense battlefield conditions required considerable physical endurance and mental discipline.

Spalding’s refusal to abandon his duty became the defining act of his military career.

For his actions at the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862, Edward Burson Spalding was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The correct historical version associated with his service is the Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army.

The Army Medal of Honor was established during the Civil War and became the highest military decoration available to United States Army soldiers for extraordinary gallantry and distinguished conduct.

The early Army Medal of Honor featured the distinctive five-pointed star design associated with the first generation of recipients.

Because Spalding’s heroic action occurred in 1862 while he was serving in the United States Army, the Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army is the correct version for his profile.

No verified device or clasp is associated with his Medal of Honor.

Spalding did not receive the decoration immediately after the battle.

His Medal of Honor was formally awarded on January 15, 1894, more than three decades after the Battle of Shiloh.

Such delayed recognition was not unusual among Civil War Medal of Honor recipients.

Many wartime actions were reviewed years later as military records, eyewitness testimony, and recommendations were examined.

The eventual award ensured that Spalding’s conduct at Shiloh became part of the official historical record.

His Medal of Honor action rank was Sergeant.

This is the correct rank to associate with the specific act of heroism at Shiloh.

Later in his military career, Spalding advanced to the rank of First Lieutenant.

This represented a significant progression from senior enlisted leadership to commissioned officer rank.

A First Lieutenant carried greater responsibility for command, discipline, troop movement, and battlefield leadership.

His advancement therefore shows that his military service continued beyond the single action that earned him the Medal of Honor.

For his hero profile, however, the correct Medal of Honor action rank remains Sergeant, while First Lieutenant should be recorded separately as his highest confirmed rank.

The Battle of Shiloh itself was one of the most significant early battles of the Civil War.

The fighting demonstrated the enormous scale of the conflict and the high level of casualties that both sides were willing to endure.

Union and Confederate forces fought across woods, fields, ridges, and camps in intense close-range combat.

Spalding’s decision to remain in action after being wounded twice must be understood within this extremely violent environment.

Medical evacuation during Civil War battles was often difficult and slow.

A wounded soldier could face additional danger from continued gunfire, artillery, exhaustion, and blood loss.

Remaining in the line after suffering two wounds therefore involved considerable personal risk.

Spalding chose to continue serving despite those dangers.

His actions reflected the qualities expected of a Sergeant: discipline, courage, loyalty to the unit, and willingness to lead by example.

His Medal of Honor recognized those qualities.

The decoration remained the defining military award of his career.

Spalding’s broader Civil War service also connected him with one of the most important Union regiments from Illinois.

The 52nd Illinois Infantry participated in major campaigns during the war and served in difficult combat environments.

As a member of Company E, Spalding experienced the realities of infantry warfare firsthand.

Infantry soldiers performed the most basic and dangerous duties of Civil War armies.

They marched long distances, endured difficult camp conditions, faced disease and shortages, and fought directly against enemy infantry and artillery.

As a Sergeant, Spalding had to deal not only with those hardships personally but also with the responsibility of helping maintain order among the soldiers around him.

His later advancement to First Lieutenant suggests that his service and leadership were recognized beyond the action at Shiloh.

The transition from Sergeant to commissioned officer was a substantial step in responsibility and status.

It required confidence from superiors and the ability to lead soldiers in more formal command roles.

Spalding’s rank history therefore provides an important part of his military biography.

His Medal of Honor history must also be distinguished from the later Civil War Campaign Medal.

Although Spalding unquestionably served during the Civil War and lived until March 4, 1920, his final profile should not automatically include the Civil War Campaign Medal without recipient-specific proof.

Under the current client rule, qualifying service alone is not enough to treat that later campaign medal as confirmed unless the individual award can be reliably established.

For that reason, the Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army remains the confirmed decoration in Spalding’s final medal record.

The absence of the Civil War Campaign Medal from the final confirmed list does not diminish the importance of his service.

His Medal of Honor already represents the highest military recognition available for his bravery.

It specifically commemorates the moment at Shiloh when, after being wounded twice, he continued fighting instead of leaving the battlefield.

Spalding’s long life after the Civil War allowed him to witness enormous changes in the United States and its military.

By the time of his death in 1920, the country had gone through industrial expansion, major social change, and another generation of military conflicts.

The Army itself had changed dramatically from the Civil War force in which Spalding had served.

Yet his identity remained permanently connected with Shiloh and the Medal of Honor.

For his final hero profile, the central facts are clear.

His full name was Edward Burson Spalding.

His branch was the United States Army.

His Medal of Honor action rank was Sergeant.

His highest confirmed rank was First Lieutenant.

His defining action occurred on April 6, 1862, during the Battle of Shiloh at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee.

His confirmed decoration was the Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army, with no verified device or clasp.

Edward Burson Spalding should ultimately be remembered as a Union Army Sergeant who demonstrated extraordinary endurance and courage during one of the most brutal battles of the early Civil War.

Wounded twice, he refused to leave the field and continued fighting until the battle ended.

That act of determination earned him the Medal of Honor and secured his place in the history of the 52nd Illinois Infantry and the United States Army.

His later advancement to First Lieutenant showed that his military career continued to develop after Shiloh, but the defining symbol of his service remains the Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army and the courage he displayed on April 6, 1862.