Newton Thomas Gould

Into the Deadly Assault at Vicksburg

Newton Thomas Gould (May 14, 1843 – April 2, 1925) was an American Civil War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient who distinguished himself during the Union assault on Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 22, 1863. Serving as a private in Company G of the 113th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, he participated in a volunteer storming party assigned to advance against heavily fortified Confederate defenses. His gallantry during the dangerous operation earned him the Medal of Honor on September 6, 1894, more than thirty-one years after the battle.

Gould was born in Elk Grove, Cook County, Illinois, on May 14, 1843. Little reliable information survives concerning his childhood, education, or family circumstances. His military records establish that he was associated with Elk Grove when he entered Union service during the American Civil War.

In 1862, Gould joined the 113th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, a regiment organized at Camp Hancock near Chicago. He was mustered into federal service as a private in Company G on October 1, 1862. The regiment was commanded by Colonel George B. Hoge and became part of the Union forces operating in the Western Theater.

On November 6, 1862, the 113th Illinois departed Illinois for Memphis, Tennessee, where it joined Union military operations under Major General William T. Sherman. The regiment subsequently participated in movements through northern Mississippi as Federal commanders attempted to advance against Confederate positions protecting the Mississippi River.

During December 1862, the regiment took part in Sherman's Yazoo Expedition against Vicksburg. The operation included fighting at Chickasaw Bayou, where Confederate forces occupied strong defensive positions along the approaches to the city. Union attacks failed to overcome these defenses, and the expedition withdrew.

In January 1863, the 113th Illinois participated in operations against Arkansas Post, including the attack on Fort Hindman. After the Confederate position surrendered, several companies of the regiment were detached to escort prisoners north. Company G remained with the portion of the regiment engaged in subsequent operations along the Mississippi River.

During the following months, the regiment took part in movements through the waterways and difficult terrain surrounding Vicksburg. Its operations included the expedition through Steele's Bayou and the approach toward the Confederate defenses along the Yazoo River.

By May 1863, Major General Ulysses S. Grant had brought Union forces into position east of Vicksburg following a series of engagements in Mississippi. Confederate troops under Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton withdrew into the city's extensive system of forts, trenches, and artillery positions.

The 113th Illinois arrived near Vicksburg on May 18 and participated in the Union operations against its defenses. Grant initially attempted to capture the city through direct assault rather than undertake a prolonged siege.

The first major attack on May 19 failed to break the Confederate line. Union commanders prepared a second, more extensive assault for May 22, using artillery fire and coordinated infantry attacks against several sections of the defensive perimeter.

The Confederate defenses presented formidable obstacles. Earthen fortifications stood behind ditches and exposed approaches, with infantry and artillery positioned to fire upon advancing Union soldiers. Any assault required the attackers to cross open ground before reaching the enemy's works.

To support the attack, Union forces organized a volunteer storming party. Its members were to advance ahead of the main assaulting troops and help overcome the obstacles protecting the Confederate positions. The mission required volunteers to expose themselves to concentrated enemy fire before supporting forces could reach the defenses.

Gould was among the soldiers who volunteered for the operation. His documented participation placed him in one of the most dangerous elements of the attack, which later became associated with the Civil War term "Forlorn Hope."

On the morning of May 22, Union artillery bombarded the Confederate fortifications before infantry advanced along the attacking front. The volunteer storming party moved forward under intense fire, facing Confederate soldiers who held advantageous positions behind their earthworks.

The attackers encountered determined resistance. Many were killed or wounded, while others sought whatever protection they could find near the Confederate defenses. The larger Union assault also suffered heavy casualties and failed to achieve a lasting breakthrough.

Gould survived the fighting. His official military citation does not identify a particular enemy soldier he captured, a weapon he operated, or an individual maneuver beyond his gallantry in the volunteer storming party. His recognized distinction was his participation in the dangerous charge against the Confederate position.

The 113th Illinois also sustained losses during the attacks on Vicksburg. Its commanding officer, Colonel Hoge, was wounded during the fighting, and the regiment continued serving in the operations surrounding the besieged city.

After the failure of the May 22 assault, Grant turned to siege operations. Union troops constructed approaches, occupied positions around Vicksburg, and gradually restricted the movement of supplies into the Confederate stronghold.

On July 4, 1863, the Confederate garrison surrendered. The victory gave Union forces control of an important section of the Mississippi River and marked the conclusion of the Vicksburg Campaign.

Following the campaign, the 113th Illinois continued military service in Mississippi and Tennessee. Its surviving regimental history records assignments around Corinth and Memphis, including garrison and security responsibilities during the remaining years of the war.

Gould remained with the regiment and advanced from private to sergeant. His subsequent promotion reflected his continued service after the Vicksburg Campaign, although the precise date of his appointment as sergeant has not been firmly established.

In June 1865, shortly before the regiment completed its federal service, Gould received a commission as a second lieutenant. The appointment was dated June 12, 1865, but the Illinois military roster explicitly records that he was never mustered into that rank.

Consequently, Gould's highest effective military rank remained sergeant. He completed his service with the 113th Illinois on June 20, 1865, when the regiment was mustered out of federal service.

After returning to civilian life, Gould eventually relocated to California and established a connection with Sacramento. Details of his occupation, marriage, and immediate family remain insufficiently documented to provide a reliable account of those aspects of his life.

He maintained an association with Union veterans through the Grand Army of the Republic. Historical cemetery records identify him with Sumner Post No. 3, a Sacramento veterans' organization.

More than three decades after the assault on Vicksburg, Gould received formal recognition for his wartime gallantry. On September 6, 1894, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863.

The decoration recognized his courage during the charge of the volunteer storming party. At the time of the action, he had been a private in Company G of the 113th Illinois Infantry. His later advancement to sergeant did not alter the rank under which his gallantry was officially recorded.

Gould continued living in California during his later years. He died in Sacramento on April 2, 1925, at the age of eighty-one, according to the birth year recorded by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

He was buried at Sacramento Historic City Cemetery in Sacramento, California, in the Grand Army of the Republic section. His burial connects him with the community of Union veterans who settled in the city after the Civil War.

Newton Thomas Gould's documented military career extended from his enlistment in 1862 to his discharge in 1865. His service included operations along the Mississippi River, the Vicksburg Campaign, and subsequent assignments with the 113th Illinois Infantry. His Medal of Honor commemorates the defining event of his military career: his gallantry as a volunteer in the dangerous Union assault against the Confederate defenses at Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.