Samuel Belton Horne

Delivered vital orders despite severe wounds and dead mount.

Samuel B. Horne carried an order through fire at Fort Harrison even after his horse was killed and he himself was severely wounded. A captain in Company H, 11th Connecticut Infantry, Horne was serving as an aide during the fighting near Richmond on 29 September 1864.

While carrying a message, he came under heavy fire. His horse was killed and Horne was badly wounded, but he completed the mission and then returned to his general rather than leaving the field. The combination of persistence, courage and duty under fire earned him the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Citation (condensed)

While carrying an order at Fort Harrison, Horne was severely wounded and his horse was killed, but he delivered the order and rejoined his general.

Horne was born on 3 March 1843 at Belleek in County Fermanagh, Ireland. He survived his wounds and the war, and lived until 18 September 1928. He died at Winchester, Connecticut, and was buried in Forest View Cemetery at Winsted.