George Uhrl

Artillery sergeant who saved an abandoned Union field gun.

George Uhrl (often spelled Uhri in historical records) was a career artilleryman in the U.S. Army. He was born in Baden, Germany, in October 1838, moved to the United States, and enlisted in 1856. Before the Civil War, he gained combat experience serving with Battery G, 2nd U.S. Artillery during the Seminole Wars in Florida and later on the Minnesota frontier.

When the Civil War broke out, Uhrl was a Sergeant in Light Battery F, 5th U.S. Artillery. On June 30, 1862, his battery was engaged at the Battle of White Oak Swamp in Virginia. During the Union Army's crowded retreat toward the James River, a nearby field gun was abandoned while under heavy Confederate fire. Uhrl and two other soldiers voluntarily left their positions and ran to the deserted cannon. They managed to haul the heavy weapon to safety, preventing the enemy from capturing it.

Uhrl survived the conflict, married in 1866, and remained in the Regular Army until he retired in 1886. He then moved to New York City, where he worked as a police officer for 11 years. On April 4, 1898, nearly 36 years after the fight at White Oak Swamp—the Army awarded him the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. Uhrl died on September 28, 1911, and is buried in Middle Village, New York.