Word Celebrity Blog

This is the third post in a row  of three heroes of the American Civil War. Two of them have the same name - "Andrew Jackson Smith".  One was a General and the other was a Corporal.  One was a white man and the other was a black man. Both of them are American Heroes.

Corpl, Andrew Jackson Smith


Corporal Andrew Jackson Smith (September 3, 1843 – March 4, 1932) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Honey Hill.


Early Life

According to family history, Andrew Jackson Smith was born into slavery, the son of Susan, a slave, and Elijah Smith, a slave owner.

When A. J. Smith was ten years old, he was assigned by his owner to run a ferry transpor"ting people and supplies across the Cumberland River. Andy became known as a "Boatman and continued his craft for nearly eight years.

During this time A. J. Smith learned the river, its currents, and the people who crossed it. He also heard the talk about the War, and he saw the Yankee ships, the steamers, and the paddle wheelers. He was aware that the ships and the U.S. Troops were stationed up the river at "Smithland" where the Cumberland and the Ohio Rivers converged.


Civil War

Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Andrew J. Smith's father and owner, Elijah Smith joined the Confederate military, with the intention of taking 19-year-old Andrew along with him. When Andrew J. Smith learned of this, he and another slave ran away, They walked the nearly 25 miles in freezing rain so cold that their soaked clothes froze to their bodies. They had to wait until daylight to present themselves to the 41st Illinois guards. They were admitted into the camp and given warm clothes and provided hot food. Andrew Smith later described joining the 41st as “falling in.”

Andrew Jackson Smith enlisted and was taken in by the 41st Illinois and became a servant to Major John Warner at the regiment's post in nearby Paducah, Kentucky.Major Warner and Andrew Smith had agreed that should the Major die in battle that Andrew would take the Major’s belongings to his home in Clinton, Illinois. The Major wrote home advising his family of this arrangement.

The 41st Illinois Volunteer Regiment moved on to Fort Henry for battle. The battle was short but successful. The fort fell and they captured Confederate General Lloyd Tillingham.

The 41st moved on to Fort Donelson where the unit encountered fierce resistance and lost over 200 men. On March 10, 1862, the 41st Regiment traveled to Pittsburg Landing (Shiloh). Prior to this battle, Major Warner had asked Andy Smith to observe him, and if he should fall, he wanted Andy to bring him water.

During the battle the Major had his mount shot from under him. When he got up, there was Andy with another mount. Shortly afterwards when the second mount was killed, Andy caught a Confederate horse and gave it to the Major. Andy asked if he could stay close to the battlefield. Before he could walk away he was struck by a spent minie ball that entered his left temple, rolled just under the skin, and stopped in the middle of his forehead. As Andy laid his head upon the regimental surgeon’s bloody apron, the surgeon removed the ball after which he pulled a sponge through the wound to cleanse it, leaving Andrew J. Smith with only a scar.

John Warner returned to Clinton, Illinois as a Colonel in November of 1862, along with Andrew who continued to serve him. Andrew J. Smith was in Clinton, Illinois when he heard the news that President Lincoln had  permitted black troops to fight for their freedom. Andy Smith left the safety of a free state to enroll in the 54th Massachusetts Colored Volunteers. Massachusetts’ Governor John Andrew had requested 1000 black men, and he got nearly 2,000 so quickly that he had to disband the 55th Massachusetts regulars to handle the overflow. The 55th was renamed to accommodate the colored recruits.

Andrew J. Smith and 55 other Illinois volunteers were mustered in the 55th Massachusetts Colored Volunteers. Andy mustered into Company ‘B’ on May 16, 1863. After the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment’s engagement at Fort Wagner, South Carolina on July 18, 1863, the 54th and the 55th fought five military engagements together over the next three years. They fought both on and off the battlefield. They fought and won the battle for equal pay with white soldiers. But in order to receive his pay, a black soldier was required to nod his head (yes) when asked if he was free in 1861. Andy refused to nod and lie about his status prior to 1861 in order to receive his pay.

Andrew J. Smith was fortunate that he did not receive any other serious wounds during his 55th Massachusetts enlistment even though he served in the color bearer unit. He was always in the thick of battle and volunteered for many raids among the islands along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts.

By November 30, 1864, Andrew Jackson Smith was serving as a corporal in the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. On that day, both the 55th and its sister regiment, the 54th Massachusetts, participated in the Battle of Honey Hill in South Carolina. The two units came under heavy fire while crossing a swamp in front of an elevated Confederate position. Andy won his distinction at the Battle of Honey Hill, South Carolina when the flag bearer was blown to bits by an exploding shell. Andy caught the falling Color Sergeant Robert King with one hand and snatched the flag with the other. Lieutenant Ellsworth who was the commander at the time screamed at Smith, “For God’s sake, save the flag!” Smith carried the colors during the rest of the battle.


























As he was leaving the field at Honey Hill, the regimental color sergeant was wounded, and Andy left the field of battle bearing both flags. Had his actions been properly recorded that day, he certainly would have been rewarded with the Mdeal of Honor for his bravery under fire.

The regimental commander, Colonel Hartwell was severely wounded and carried from battle early in the fighting. He was forced to complete his battle report at his home while recuperating from his wounds. Had the colonel been present for the remainder of the battle, he may have reacted differently to Andy’s bravery.

Andy was promoted to Color Sergeant soon after the battle. The 55th Massachusetts Colored remained in the area and was later detailed as provost guard at Orangeburg, South Carolina. Andy received his final discharged at Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina on August 29, 1865 and was sent to Boston on the Steamer Karnac for his formal mustering out.

Dr Burt G. Wilder who was the regimental surgeon for the 55th Massachusetts began a lifelong correspondence with Andrew J. Smith in hopes of securing the cherished Medal of Honor for Andy’s bravery at Honey Hill. So many of the officers were wounded and taken from the battlefield that the battle was never fully documented and Andrew Jackson Smith’s heroics could not be certified.


























After the War, Andy went back to Clinton, Illinois for a short period. He later returned to Eddyville, Kentucky where he used his mustering out pay to buy land.






































Andrew Jackson Smith died on March 4, 1932, at the age 88.  Andrew Jackson Smith was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Grand Rivers, Kentucky.




















Corp. Andrew Jackson Smith was nominated for the Medal of Honor in 1916, but the Army denied the nomination, citing a lack of official records documenting his case. Corp. Smith's commander at Honey Hill had not included an account of Smith's actions in the official battle report.






































Andrew Jackson Smith, Color Sergeant, 55TH Massachusettts Volunteer Infantry, Medal of Honor recipient.

It was not until January 16, 2001, 137 years after the Battle of Honey Hill, that Smith was to be recognized. President Bill Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to several of Smith's descendants during a ceremony at the White House. Former President Theodore Roosevelt was also posthumously awarded the medal at the same ceremony, for his actions during the Spanish- American War.



Medal of Honor















Citation:

Corporal Andrew Jackson Smith, of Clinton, Illinois, a member of the 55th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry, distinguished himself on 30 November 1864 by saving his regimental colors, after the color bearer was killed during a bloody charge called the Battle of Honey Hill, South Carolina. In the late afternoon, as the 55th Regiment pursued enemy skirmishers and conducted a running fight, they ran into a swampy area backed by a rise where the Confederate Army awaited. The surrounding woods and thick underbrush impeded infantry movement and artillery support. The 55th and 54th regiments formed columns to advance on the enemy position in a flanking movement. As the Confederates repelled other units, the 55th and 54th regiments continued to move into flanking positions. Forced into a narrow gorge crossing a swamp in the face of the enemy position, the 55th's Color-Sergeant was killed by an exploding shell, and Corporal Smith took the Regimental Colors from his hand and carried them through heavy grape and canister fire. Although half of the officers and a third of the enlisted men engaged in the fight were killed or wounded, Corporal Smith continued to expose himself to enemy fire by carrying the colors throughout the battle. Through his actions, the Regimental Colors of the 55th Infantry Regiment were not lost to the enemy.

Corporal Andrew Jackson Smith's extraordinary valor in the face of deadly enemy fire is in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon him, the 55th Regiment, and the United States Army.



















(Some of this information is from Andrew S. Bowman, the grandson of Andrew J. Smith. His information has come from original documents that have been preserved by his aunt, Caruth Smith - Washington, daughter of Andrew J. Smith . Other sources of information include the “Record of the Service of the Fifty-Fifth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.” Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, July, 1868.)