Thomas Parke Gere

Under a hail of shot he seized the rebel flag at Nashville!!

Thomas Parke Gere was only nineteen when he enlisted in the 5th Minnesota Infantry in January 1862. Before he earned the Medal of Honor in Tennessee, he had already served at Fort Ridgely during the U.S.-Dakota War and risen from the enlisted ranks to become an officer and regimental adjutant.

Gere was born on 10 December 1842 in Wellsburg, New York. Minnesota Historical Society records show that he enlisted on 17 January 1862, became first sergeant in March, and was soon commissioned second lieutenant. During the 1862 Dakota conflict he was at Fort Ridgely, where he helped command a small force during the crisis. He later continued south with the regiment in the Civil War and became First Lieutenant and Adjutant.

At the Battle of Nashville on 16 December 1864, Gere captured the flag of the Confederate 4th Mississippi Infantry. The act brought him the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Citation (condensed)

At Nashville on 16 December 1864, First Lieutenant and Adjutant Thomas P. Gere captured the flag of the Confederate 4th Mississippi Infantry.

The Medal of Honor was presented on 24 February 1865. After the war Gere entered the railroad business. He died on 8 January 1912 in Chicago and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

His Army Civil War service supports the Civil War Campaign Medal. His documented 1862 Dakota service does not by itself establish Indian Campaign Medal entitlement: the official Indian Campaign Medal criteria reviewed begin with qualifying campaigns in 1865 and later. No Indian Campaign Medal is added.