John H. Ricksecker

Capturing a Confederate flag at Franklin

John Henry Ricksecker was born on November 14, 1843, in Mansfield, Ohio. He served as a private in Company D, 104th Ohio Infantry, during the American Civil War.

On November 30, 1864, at Franklin, Tennessee, Ricksecker captured a Confederate flag. His Medal of Honor citation identifies it as the flag of the 16th Alabama Artillery. The citation provides no further description of the encounter, so the details of his approach, the defenders, and the moment of capture remain unestablished in the cited record.

Ricksecker received the award on February 3, 1865. He died in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 2, 1929, and was buried at Forest Hills Cemetery there. His award commemorates a Union infantryman's capture of an enemy color during the fighting at Franklin.

Official Medal of Honor citation: Capture of flag of 16th Alabama Artillery (C.S.A.).