Loron Franklin Packard

Rode back alone and tore a comrade from three armed captors.

After his Union cavalry command retreated at Raccoon Ford, Virginia, on November 27, 1863, Private Loron Franklin Packard voluntarily returned alone to rescue a fellow soldier from three armed Confederates. His actions during the American Civil War earned him the Medal of Honor more than thirty years later and became the defining achievement of his military service.

Loron Franklin Packard was born in Cattaraugus County, New York. Historical sources disagree about his exact birth date and year, but records of his military service establish his connection to the communities of western New York before the Civil War.

On August 29, 1861, Packard enlisted in the Union Army at Haskell Flats, New York, for a three-year term of service. Two days later, on August 31, he was mustered into Company E of the 5th New York Volunteer Cavalry as a Private.

The 5th New York Cavalry, also known as the First Ira Harris Guards, served in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. Its operations included reconnaissance, cavalry screening, and engagements against Confederate forces. Packard remained associated with Company E during his documented military service.

By November 1863, the regiment was operating in Virginia during the Mine Run Campaign, as the Union Army of the Potomac attempted to engage Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee.

During this campaign, the 5th New York Cavalry served in a cavalry formation commanded by Brigadier General George A. Custer. The regiment operated near the Rapidan River, where Confederate troops defended important river crossings, including Raccoon Ford.

On November 27, 1863, Packard participated in an engagement at Raccoon Ford, Virginia. During the fighting, his command was compelled to retreat, leaving a fellow Union soldier in the hands of three armed Confederates.

Although his unit had withdrawn, Packard voluntarily returned to assist the captured soldier. He approached the enemy position alone and succeeded in rescuing his comrade from the three Confederate soldiers.

The surviving Medal of Honor citation does not identify the rescued soldier or describe the precise method Packard used to secure his release. It establishes, however, that Packard acted voluntarily, returned without assistance, and successfully rescued a fellow serviceman after his command had retreated.

This act of individual courage became the principal documented achievement for which Packard was later recognized.

Following the engagement at Raccoon Ford, Packard continued his military service with the 5th New York Cavalry. On January 1, 1864, he reenlisted, extending his commitment to the Union Army beyond his original term of service.

Military records also identify a later appointment as Saddler, although the date of that appointment has not been established. A saddler was responsible for work associated with the maintenance and repair of saddles and other leather equipment used by mounted troops.

Some later accounts describe Packard as a Saddler-Sergeant. However, the available individual service evidence confirms his appointment as Saddler without independently establishing promotion to the rank of Sergeant. His Medal of Honor record identifies him as a Private at the time of his recognized action.

Local military research further records that Packard was wounded during his wartime service. The surviving summary does not establish the date, location, or circumstances of the injury, and those details cannot be reliably assigned to any specific engagement.

Packard remained in the Union Army through the final year of the Civil War. Following the conclusion of major hostilities, he was mustered out of military service on July 19, 1865, at Winchester, Virginia.

His documented service had extended from August 1861 through July 1865, including the 1863 engagement at Raccoon Ford for which he would later receive the nation's highest military decoration.

After leaving the Army, Packard returned to civilian life in New York. Genealogical records identify his wife as Francese O. Graves and record two daughters, Gertrude S. Packard and Susan D. Packard.

The surviving historical sources provide comparatively little information about Packard's civilian occupation or his activities during the decades following the Civil War.

On August 20, 1894, the United States government awarded Packard the Medal of Honor for his actions at Raccoon Ford on November 27, 1863.

The award recognized his decision to return alone after his command had retreated and rescue a fellow soldier from three armed Confederate troops. His citation identified him as a Private in Company E of the 5th New York Cavalry.

More than thirty years separated the action and the award, but the Medal of Honor permanently recorded his conduct during the engagement.

Packard was among the members of the 5th New York Cavalry whose individual actions during the Civil War received recognition through the Medal of Honor.

Loron Franklin Packard died on July 16, 1903, in New York. He was buried in Cuba Cemetery in Cuba, Allegany County, New York, where cemetery records identify his grave in Old Section B, Lot 750.

His military record preserves a career that began with his enlistment in 1861 and continued until the end of the Civil War. His lasting distinction rests on the courage he demonstrated at Raccoon Ford, where he voluntarily returned after a retreat to save a fellow soldier from Confederate captivity.