Case-D
An Illinois Soldier’s Medal of Honor

AC-LR1058a – Lloyd Wheaton MoH
Blakely Map – GZ834 U581ar Map

Lloyd Wheaton won this Medal of Honor in 1894 for his Civil War service with the 8th Illinois Infantry Regiment. Enlisting early, Wheaton saw combat at Shiloh and the siege of Vicksburg. The act of bravery that earned him this Medal came late in the war when the 8th Illinois, as part of a large Federal force, moved against the Confederate stronghold at Mobile, Alabama.

Fort Blakely was one of the last Confederate fortifications protecting the city, and United States soldiers began constructing an ever-encroaching series of trenches in the first days of April 1865. On April 9, Federal forces assaulted the much smaller Confederate force of about 4,000 men. Wheaton distinguished himself by being the first U.S. soldier to enter the entrenchments, although under heavy rifle and artillery fire.

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