Leverett M. Kelley

First over the summit works, he took a rebel officer's sword!

Leverett M. Kelley crossed captured works on Missionary Ridge, rallied men forward under fire, and helped turn a hard climb into a breakthrough. Kelley served in Company A, 36th Illinois Infantry and eventually held the rank of captain.

On November 25, 1863, during the Battle of Missionary Ridge at Chattanooga, Kelley sprang over the first captured line of Confederate works and called on his comrades to follow. He continued up the ridge under heavy fire, was among the first to reach the summit defenses, and compelled a Confederate officer to surrender and hand over his sword.

Medal of Honor Citation (condensed): Led forward after the first works were taken, advanced under deadly fire, was among the first over the summit defenses, and received the surrender and sword of a Confederate officer.

Kelley was born on September 28, 1841, in Schenectady, New York. His Medal of Honor was presented on April 4, 1900. He died in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 1924, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.