Robert Niven

Rode out of Waynesboro clutching two captured enemy flags!

Second Lieutenant Robert Niven ended the Battle of Waynesboro with two captured Confederate flags in his hands. Born in Harlem, New York, on 18 December 1833, he served in Company H, 8th New York Cavalry and later attained the rank of captain.

On 2 March 1865, Union cavalry struck the Confederate force at Waynesboro, Virginia. In the fighting, Niven captured two flags. The official Medal of Honor citation is only three words long, but capturing a battle flag required closing with the enemy at the focal point of a unit's defense.

Medal of Honor Citation (condensed)

Capture of two flags at Waynesboro, Virginia, on 2 March 1865.

Niven received the Medal of Honor on 26 March 1865. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records his death at Providence, Rhode Island, on 21 February 1921 and his burial in Pawtuxet Park Cemetery at Lakewood, Rhode Island.