The Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery the United States can bestow on an individual, has it roots in the Civil War. A number of men associated with Warren County received this award for their military service. Two of these men, George Merrill and Franklin Johndro, have their resting places in the Bay Street Cemetery in Glens Falls.
Franklin Johndro, born in Highgate Falls, Vt., enlisted at the age of 26, in Co. A, 118th Regiment, New York Infantry (Adirondack Regiment), at Queensbury. Johndro distinguished himself at the Battle of Chapins Farm, Va. by capturing 40 Confederate soldiers. On April 6, 1865 he was presented the Medal of Honor by President Lincoln for his actions at Chapins Farm. Upon his death in 1901 his body was returned to Glens Falls for burial in the family plot. The Medal and other memorabilia are now in the care of Bill Doan (a descendant of Johndro), who lives in Wisc.
George C. Merrill, born at The Oneida, (Sunnyside and Ridge Roads) in Queensbury in 1846, was the son of John and Catherine Danforth Merrill. In 1864, now a resident of Moreau, he enlisted in Co. I, 142nd Regiment, New York Infantry. During the second attack at the battle of Fort Fisher, North Carolina, Merrill distinguished himself when on January 14, 1865, he voluntarily advanced to the head of a column under heavy fire to cut down the palisading of the fort, opening the way for troops to advance. He received his Medal of Honor on December 28, 1914 at a special ceremony in Washington, D.C. He died at home at 133 South Street, Glens Falls on August 29, 1925. Merrill's Medal and other memorabilia are now in the care of the Perry family of the Glens Falls area. George is buried in the family plot in Bay Street Cemetery.
Both George C. Merrill and Franklin Johndro were honored in 1998 at a solemn ceremony at the Bay Street Cemetery with the placement of new bronze plaques noting the award of the Medal of Honor.
Two other Civil War soldiers with ties to Warren County also received the Medal of Honor. They are Major General Daniel E. Sickles and Major and Aide-de-Camp Henry E. Tremain.
General Sickles received his Medal of Honor at Gettysburg, Pa. for action on July 2, 1863 for displaying gallantry on the field after being wounded himself. Major Tremain came to Warren County after the Civil War and bought property on the west side of Lake George near today's Diamond Point where he established "Hillview Farm." He also lived on Sherman Avenue in Glens Falls where he maintained his legal residence. He received his Medal of Honor for voluntarily riding between lines while two brigades of Union troops were firing into each other and stopped the firing during the Battle of Resaca, Georgia on May 15, 1864.
The last recipient of the Medal of Honor, U.S. Navy Warrant Officer Floyd Bennett, was born in Warrensburg on October 25, 1890. By special legislation he received the Medal of Honor for distinguishing himself conspicuously by courage and intrepidity at the risk of his life as a member of the Bryd Arctic Expedition in 1925. Bennett was appointed to be second in command of Byrd's expedition to the South Pole 1928-30 but this never came to fruition. While attempting to rescue a downed air crew in Canada, Bennett became ill and died in Quebec, Canada April 25, 1928. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery, Va.
Today there are less than one-hundred eleven Medal of Honor recipients. The Medal of Honor Society was formed to promote patriotism and foster a love of country among its goals and it holds annual reunions.
Prepared by Joan F. Aldous for Warren County Historical Society
Posted in Hometown on Saturday, November 7, 2009 10:45 pm
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