Thomas Plunkett

Under fire he held the flag till a shell tore off both arms!

At Fredericksburg on 11 December 1862, Sergeant Thomas Plunkett saw the colors of the 21st Massachusetts Infantry fall when the color bearer was shot. Plunkett seized the flag and carried it forward until a Confederate shell tore away both of his arms.

Plunkett was born in Ireland in 1841. During the Civil War he served in Company E, 21st Massachusetts Infantry. The regiment fought in the Union operations around Fredericksburg, where troops were exposed to intense artillery and small-arms fire during the attempts to cross the Rappahannock and assault the Confederate position.

Plunkett's Medal of Honor citation centers on his determination to keep the regiment's colors in the fight. After taking up the flag from the fallen bearer, he continued carrying it until the shell inflicted catastrophic wounds.

Medal of Honor Citation (condensed)

At Fredericksburg on 11 December 1862, Plunkett took up his regiment's colors after the bearer was shot and carried them forward until a shell carried away both of his arms.

The Medal of Honor was presented on 30 March 1866. Plunkett survived his wounds but died on 10 March 1885. He was buried in Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts. His qualifying Army service supports the Civil War Campaign Medal. No additional federal campaign medal or ribbon device is established.