Henry T. Johns

He Volunteered to Face the Guns Before the Assault

Henry T. Johns served in the United States Army during the American Civil War and became one of the soldiers whose courage at Port Hudson, Louisiana, would eventually be recognized with the Medal of Honor. He first served with Company C of the 49th Massachusetts Infantry, entering the regiment as a Private and joining Union operations in the Department of the Gulf.

The 49th Massachusetts Infantry was sent south during a period when Union forces were attempting to break Confederate control of the Mississippi River. One of the most important obstacles was Port Hudson, Louisiana, a heavily fortified Confederate position overlooking the river. Together with Vicksburg farther north, Port Hudson helped prevent complete Union control of the Mississippi.

By May 1863, Union forces had moved against the Port Hudson defenses. The Confederate position was protected by earthworks, artillery, riflemen, and difficult terrain. Any direct assault required soldiers to cross exposed ground while defenders fired from prepared positions.

On May 27, 1863, Johns was serving as a Private in Company C when volunteers were called for a dangerous movement toward the Confederate works. The mission required men to advance ahead of the general assault, placing them closer to the enemy defenses and exposing them to concentrated fire before the main Union force moved forward.

Johns volunteered.

He joined the advance toward the Confederate works while heavy enemy fire came from the fortified position. The men moving forward had little protection and faced the possibility of being struck before the larger assault had even begun. Johns nevertheless continued with the movement, deliberately accepting the danger of advancing in front of the main attacking force.

His conduct during that advance became the defining act of his military career. The official recognition later emphasized that he had voluntarily responded to the call and participated in the movement against the enemy works under heavy fire in advance of the general assault. His courage was therefore tied not simply to participation in the Battle of Port Hudson, but to his willingness to move forward before the main body of Union troops.

The May 27 assault did not immediately capture Port Hudson. The Confederate defenses proved extremely difficult to break, and Union troops suffered serious casualties during the attacks. The siege continued until July 1863, when Port Hudson finally surrendered. Combined with the fall of Vicksburg, its capture gave the Union effective control of the Mississippi River and divided the Confederacy geographically.

Johns survived the Port Hudson campaign and completed his service with the 49th Massachusetts Infantry. His military career, however, did not end there. He later returned to service and received a commission in the 61st Massachusetts Infantry, moving from the enlisted ranks into the officer corps.

This later service is important when recording his rank accurately. Johns held the rank of Private during the action that earned his Medal of Honor, but he later rose to First Lieutenant. First Lieutenant therefore represents his highest verified military rank, while Private remains the correct rank associated with the Port Hudson action.

His progression from Private to commissioned officer reflected a significant change in responsibility. As an officer, Johns became responsible not only for his own conduct but also for military leadership, discipline, administration, and the welfare of soldiers under his authority. His wartime experience therefore extended beyond the single heroic episode for which he became famous.

The recognition for his courage at Port Hudson did not come immediately. Three decades passed between the May 27, 1863 action and the formal award of the Medal of Honor. On November 25, 1893, the United States presented Henry T. Johns with the Medal of Honor for his conduct during the advance against the Confederate defenses.

For his final verified medal record, the decoration is Medal of Honor 1862–1896 Army — 1893, with no additional device or clasp. The medal belongs to the earlier Army Medal of Honor historical period because it was issued in 1893, before the Army introduced its redesigned Medal of Honor ribbon in 1896.

The distinction between the action date and the award date is especially important in Johns's story. His heroism occurred on May 27, 1863, during the Port Hudson campaign, while the Medal of Honor was not formally presented until November 25, 1893. The decoration therefore represented national recognition of an act performed approximately thirty years earlier.

The Medal of Honor itself had been established during the Civil War. Congress authorized the Army version in 1862, creating what would become the United States' highest military decoration. Johns's award connected him directly to that Civil War tradition of recognizing exceptional battlefield courage.

No additional star, clasp, bar, oak leaf cluster, or other device has been verified for his Medal of Honor. His final medal record therefore remains intentionally simple: one Medal of Honor, representing the voluntary advance he made under heavy Confederate fire at Port Hudson.

Johns's military legacy is particularly notable because his career moved from the lowest commissioned structure of the Army to officer status. At Port Hudson he was a Private volunteering for one of the most dangerous positions in the assault. Later he became a First Lieutenant, carrying formal leadership responsibilities as the Civil War continued.

After the war, the memory of the 49th Massachusetts Infantry remained important to him. Johns later became associated with preserving the regiment's story, ensuring that the experiences of the men who served in the Gulf and fought at Port Hudson were not forgotten.

Henry T. Johns died on May 13, 1906, in Glendale, California, and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California. By the time of his death, more than four decades had passed since the battlefield action that made him a Medal of Honor recipient.

His legacy remains centered on one decision made before a general assault began. While Confederate guns covered the approaches to their fortified works, volunteers were requested to move forward ahead of the main force. Johns stepped forward, joined that dangerous advance, and moved toward the enemy under heavy fire. Thirty years later, the Medal of Honor 1862–1896 Army — 1893 permanently recorded that decision as the defining moment of his military life.