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Service Profile
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Lt Colonel
- Service Era
- American Civil War, Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, Third Battle of Petersburg
- Medals Recorded
- 1
Thomas W. Hoffman
Lt Colonel, U.S. Army
Support & adopt this hero ↓American Civil WarEastern Theater of the American Civil WarThird Battle of Petersburg
Awards & Decorations
Ribbon Rack
Biography
He stopped the retreat and saved his own line at Petersburg!
Thomas William Hoffman was born on 21 July 1839 in Pennsylvania and served the Union Army with Company A, 208th Pennsylvania Infantry. By the final spring of the Civil War he was a captain, and his leadership at Petersburg became the defining act of his military record.
On 2 April 1865, during the assault at Petersburg, Hoffman intervened at a critical moment and prevented his regiment from retreating. The official citation is notably brief, but its meaning is clear: his personal leadership helped keep the unit in the fight when it might otherwise have broken.
Medal of Honor Citation (condensed): At Petersburg, Hoffman prevented the retreat of his regiment during the battle.
The Medal of Honor was presented to Hoffman on 19 July 1895. He was later recognized with the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel. Hoffman died at Scranton, Pennsylvania, on 18 April 1905 and was buried in Pomfret Manor Cemetery at Sunbury, Pennsylvania.
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