Ignatz Gresser

Ignatz Gresser was born on August 15, 1835, in Germany and immigrated to the United States as a young man. He eventually settled in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a shoemaker. By the time the American Civil War began in 1861, Gresser had already become associated with the local Allen Infantry militia, placing him among the Pennsylvania volunteers who responded immediately when the federal government called for troops to defend Washington. In April 1861, the Allen Infantry joined several Pennsylvania companies that became remembered as the “First Defenders” because of their rapid movement toward the national capital. During their journey through Baltimore, the Pennsylvania volunteers encountered violent resistance from local Confederate sympathizers. Gresser suffered an ankle injury during the disturbance but continued with his unit to Washington. His first period of wartime service lasted approximately three months, after which he returned to Allentown and resumed his civilian occupation. The war, however, continued to expand. On August 13, 1862, Gresser entered military service again, this time as a Corporal in Company D, 128th Pennsylvania Infantry. The regiment was recruited largely from Berks, Lehigh, and Bucks Counties and entered Federal service for a nine-month term. Gresser’s rank of Corporal placed him among the junior noncommissioned officers responsible for helping maintain order, discipline, and cohesion among the enlisted soldiers. Only a little more than a month after the regiment was organized, the 128th Pennsylvania was drawn into one of the most violent battles of the entire Civil War. On September 17, 1862, Union and Confederate armies fought at Antietam, Maryland. The 128th Pennsylvania served in the XII Corps and entered the fighting in the area of the Cornfield, where combat became extraordinarily intense. The regiment had little battlefield experience, yet it was committed directly into severe infantry fighting and suffered heavy casualties. During this action, Corporal Ignatz Gresser saw a wounded fellow soldier lying exposed on the battlefield. The wounded man was Corporal William Henry Sowden of the same regiment. Enemy fire continued across the area, making any attempt to reach and remove a casualty extremely dangerous. Gresser nevertheless left relative safety, moved into the fire-swept area, reached his wounded comrade, and carried him away from the battlefield. The official recognition of Gresser’s deed was deliberately concise. His Medal of Honor citation recorded that, while exposed to enemy fire, he carried a wounded comrade from the field. The simple language reflected a clearly documented act of battlefield courage. Gresser voluntarily exposed himself to the same fire that had already wounded other soldiers in order to save another man who might otherwise have remained helpless on the battlefield. Gresser continued serving with the 128th Pennsylvania after Antietam. The regiment remained with the Army of the Potomac and later participated in the Chancellorsville Campaign in the spring of 1863. Fighting there again exposed the regiment to serious losses. After completing its nine-month term of service, the 128th Pennsylvania Infantry was mustered out on May 19, 1863. Gresser left the Army still holding the rank of Corporal, which remained his highest verified military rank. Recognition for his action at Antietam did not come immediately. More than three decades passed before the United States formally honored him for carrying his wounded comrade from the battlefield. On December 12, 1895, Ignatz Gresser received the Medal of Honor for his gallantry at Antietam on September 17, 1862. Because the award was issued in 1895, the correct historical database representation is Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army — 1895, with no additional device or clasp. The Medal of Honor itself had been established for the United States Army during the Civil War. Congress authorized the Army Medal of Honor in 1862, creating a national decoration for exceptional military conduct. During the war and in the decades that followed, many Civil War actions were reviewed and formally recognized. Some veterans, including Gresser, received the decoration many years after the events for which it was awarded. His case illustrates the important distinction between the date of the heroic action and the date on which the decoration was actually issued. Gresser’s Medal of Honor represented one individual act rather than recognition for an entire military career. His verified record contains one Medal of Honor, without a star, bar, clasp, oak leaf cluster, or other device. The award permanently connected his name with the Battle of Antietam and with the 128th Pennsylvania Infantry’s costly fighting in the Cornfield. After leaving military service, Gresser returned to civilian life in Allentown. He resumed his trade as a shoemaker and remained associated with the community for many decades. The transition from combat soldier back to craftsman reflected the experience of many Civil War veterans who returned to ordinary occupations after surviving extraordinary wartime circumstances. Gresser lived long enough to see the Civil War pass from living national crisis into commemorated history, while veterans’ organizations and local communities increasingly preserved the stories of those who had served. The man Gresser rescued at Antietam, William Henry Sowden, survived his wound and later became a prominent public figure, eventually serving in the United States House of Representatives. Their shared experience at Antietam remained an important part of both men’s histories. Gresser’s act had not been symbolic or ceremonial; it had directly helped save the life of a fellow soldier under enemy fire. Ignatz Gresser died on August 1, 1919, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was buried in Union and West End Cemetery in Allentown, a cemetery that became the resting place of hundreds of Civil War veterans. His connection with the city remained strong after his death, and his service came to be remembered as an important part of Allentown’s Civil War heritage. Gresser’s military legacy rests on a remarkably direct act of courage. He began the war among Pennsylvania’s early volunteers, returned to service in the 128th Pennsylvania Infantry, endured the brutal fighting at Antietam, and later served through the Chancellorsville Campaign. Yet the defining moment of his career came on September 17, 1862, when, as a Corporal under enemy fire, he chose to carry a wounded comrade from the battlefield. Thirty-three years later, the United States recognized that act with the Medal of Honor. His final verified decoration remains Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army — 1895 — no device or clasp.