Elisha Johns

Elisha Johns was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War whose courage during the Vicksburg Campaign earned him the Medal of Honor. He served in Company B of the 113th Illinois Infantry and held the rank of Corporal at the time of the action for which he was later recognized. His highest confirmed rank was Sergeant, reflecting later advancement beyond the rank he held during his Medal of Honor action.

Johns’s defining act of bravery took place on May 22, 1863, during the Union assault on Vicksburg, Mississippi. Vicksburg was one of the most important Confederate strongholds on the Mississippi River, and its capture was a major objective of Union strategy.

The city was heavily fortified and protected by trenches, artillery positions, and difficult terrain. Union troops attacking the defenses had to cross open ground under concentrated Confederate rifle and artillery fire.

On May 22, Union forces launched a large-scale assault against the Confederate positions.

Before the main attack, volunteers were called for an extremely dangerous mission.

A selected group of soldiers was formed into what became known as the volunteer storming party.

Their task was to advance ahead of the main attacking force while carrying materials needed to help bridge defensive obstacles and assist the troops following behind.

The men who volunteered understood that their chances of being killed or wounded were extremely high.

Elisha Johns stepped forward for this mission.

At the time, he was serving as a Corporal in Company B, 113th Illinois Infantry.

He joined the storming party and advanced toward the Confederate defenses under heavy enemy fire.

The charge was extremely dangerous.

The volunteers had to cross exposed ground while Confederate defenders fired from protected positions.

Despite the intense fire, Johns continued forward with the attacking force.

His courage during the charge became the defining action of his military career.

For his gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party at Vicksburg on May 22, 1863, Elisha Johns was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The correct historical decoration for his service is the Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army.

The Army Medal of Honor had been established during the Civil War and became the nation’s highest military decoration for extraordinary gallantry and distinguished conduct.

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

Because Johns’s heroic action occurred in 1863 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.

Johns did not receive the medal immediately after the battle.

His Medal of Honor was formally presented on August 9, 1894, more than thirty years after the Vicksburg assault.

Such delayed recognition was common among Civil War veterans.

Many acts of gallantry were formally reviewed long after the war, and soldiers whose actions had been documented were later recognized with the Medal of Honor.

Johns’s action rank was Corporal.

This is the rank that should be used when describing the specific Vicksburg action that earned him the Medal of Honor.

He later advanced to the rank of Sergeant.

This represented a clear increase in responsibility.

A Sergeant served as a noncommissioned officer and was expected to help maintain discipline, supervise enlisted soldiers, transmit orders, and provide direct leadership within the company.

For his final hero profile, Corporal should therefore remain his Medal of Honor action rank, while Sergeant should be recorded separately as his highest confirmed rank.

Johns’s combat specialization was Infantry.

The 113th Illinois Infantry was an infantry regiment, and his Medal of Honor action occurred during direct ground combat at Vicksburg.

For the database, the correct metadata is Army and Ground combat (Army focus), with Infantry as the Combat Achievement Modifier.

The Vicksburg Campaign was one of the most important Union campaigns of the Civil War.

Major General Ulysses S. Grant sought to capture Vicksburg in order to gain control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy geographically.

The May 22 assault, in which Johns participated, failed to break the Confederate defenses.

Union forces suffered heavy casualties.

After the direct attacks proved unsuccessful, Grant shifted to siege operations.

Union troops gradually tightened their lines around the city.

Confederate soldiers and civilians inside Vicksburg endured increasing shortages of food and supplies.

On July 4, 1863, the Confederate commander surrendered the city to Grant.

The fall of Vicksburg gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and effectively divided the Confederacy.

Johns’s bravery therefore took place during a campaign of enormous strategic importance.

Although the May 22 assault itself did not capture the city, the courage of the storming party became one of the most memorable episodes of the campaign.

The men who volunteered for the mission knew the danger before they advanced.

Their decision to step forward was itself an act of extraordinary courage.

Johns’s participation in that group demonstrated personal bravery before the charge even began.

Once the assault started, he had to continue moving forward under direct enemy fire.

His Medal of Honor recognized that willingness to face almost certain danger in the performance of duty.

Johns’s medal history also includes the Civil War Campaign Medal 1861–1865 Army under the client’s current database workflow.

This medal was established after the Civil War to recognize qualifying Army service during the conflict.

Johns’s service in the 113th Illinois Infantry clearly fell within the qualifying period.

He also survived long enough to be alive after the campaign medal had been established.

Elisha Johns died on June 14, 1920.

Because he lived well beyond the end of the Civil War and into the period when the Army Civil War Campaign Medal existed, the Civil War Campaign Medal 1861–1865 Army is included in his final profile under the client’s current workflow.

The two medals recognize different aspects of his military service.

The Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army recognizes his specific act of gallantry during the volunteer storming party charge at Vicksburg.

The Civil War Campaign Medal 1861–1865 Army represents his broader qualifying service in the Union Army during the Civil War.

No verified device or clasp is associated with either medal.

Johns’s career also illustrates the importance of noncommissioned officers in Civil War infantry units.

Corporals and Sergeants were often the link between commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers.

They were expected to maintain order, assist with formations, carry instructions, and help lead men during combat.

Johns’s advancement from Corporal to Sergeant reflects the trust placed in him as his military service continued.

His long life after the war allowed him to see the country change dramatically.

By the time of his death in 1920, the United States had fought another major conflict in the Spanish-American War and had entered the First World War.

Yet Johns remained part of the Civil War generation whose service had preserved the Union.

His Medal of Honor ensured that his role at Vicksburg would remain permanently recorded.

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

Elisha Johns served in the United States Army.

He was a Corporal in Company B, 113th Illinois Infantry, during the Medal of Honor action at Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.

His highest confirmed rank was Sergeant.

He earned the Medal of Honor for gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party.

His final medal set includes the Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army and the Civil War Campaign Medal 1861–1865 Army.

No verified device or clasp is associated with either decoration.

Elisha Johns should ultimately be remembered as a Union infantry soldier who voluntarily accepted one of the most dangerous assignments of the Vicksburg Campaign.

His courage during the storming party charge earned him the Medal of Honor.

His later promotion to Sergeant reflected continued responsibility and leadership.

The Medal of Honor remains the defining symbol of his battlefield bravery, while the Civil War Campaign Medal represents his broader service during the conflict.

Together, they preserve the military legacy of Elisha Johns as a soldier whose courage at Vicksburg placed him among the recognized heroes of the United States Army during the American Civil War.