Ignatz Gresser

Ignatz Gresser
Ignatz Gresser
Born	August 15, 1835; Germany
Died	August 1, 1919 (aged 83); Allentown, Pennsylvania
Buried	Union-West End Cemetery, Allentown
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army; Union Army
Rank	Corporal
Unit	Company D, 128th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	American Civil War
Awards	Medal of Honor

Ignatz Gresser (August 15, 1835 – August 1, 1919) was an American soldier and member of the 128th Pennsylvania Infantry who fought in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for carrying a wounded Union soldier from the field of battle at Antietam.[1][2]

Private Ignatz Gresser in 1862

Gresser was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1851 at the age of 15. He was a cobbler before and after the war.[3] The soldier he saved was William Henry Sowden, who would go on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.[4]

Ignatz Gresser died in Allentown on August 1, 1919.[4]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization. Corporal, Company D, 128th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., September 17, 1862. Entered service at : Lehigh County, Pa. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: December 12, 1895.

Citation

While exposed to the fire of the enemy, carried from the field a wounded comrade.

References

"GRESSER, IGNATZ". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
Beyer, Walter F.; Keydel, Oscar F. (1901). Deeds of Valor: How America's Heroes Won the Medal of Honor. The Perrien-Keydel Company.
Whelan, Frank (May 25, 1998). "Courageous Cobbler Shoemaker Ignatz Gresser Started As A Weekend Soldier, Then Won The Medal Of Honor For Saving Lives". The Morning Call. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
"Ignatz Gresser, 1st Defender, Answers Final Summons". Allentown Morning Call. August 2, 1919. p. 5. Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

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[1] "GRESSER, IGNATZ". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved April 18, 2016.

[2] Beyer, Walter F.; Keydel, Oscar F. (1901). Deeds of Valor: How America's Heroes Won the Medal of Honor. The Perrien-Keydel Company.

[3] Whelan, Frank (May 25, 1998). "Courageous Cobbler Shoemaker Ignatz Gresser Started As A Weekend Soldier, Then Won The Medal Of Honor For Saving Lives". The Morning Call. Retrieved April 18, 2016.

[Summons-4] "Ignatz Gresser, 1st Defender, Answers Final Summons". Allentown Morning Call. August 2, 1919. p. 5. Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.