Milton M. Holland

Milton M. Holland

Sergeant Major Milton M. Holland
Birth name Milton Murray Holland
Born (1844-08-01)August 1, 1844
Austin, Texas
Died May 15, 1910(1910-05-15) (aged 65)
Place of burial Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance United States of America
Union
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1862 - 1865
Rank Sergeant Major
Unit 5th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars American Civil War
*Battle of Chaffin's Farm
Awards Medal of Honor
Other work Founder and president, Alpha Insurance Company

Milton Murray Holland (August 1, 1844 – May 15, 1910) 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 Chaffin's Farm.

Biography

Milton Holland, wartime photo.
This photograph was probably taken earlier, in 1863 or 1864, than the other one with the medals.

Holland was born as the son of Bird Holland, a white slaveowner (killed in action at the Battle of Mansfield) and an African-American slave.[1] He joined the Army from Athens, Ohio. At the Athens County Fairgrounds he signed to the recruitment rolls 149 young black men and raised what was to become Company C of the 5th United States Colored Infantry.[2] He was serving as a Sergeant Major (a temporary assignment) in the 5th USCI when his unit participated in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm on September 29, 1864 in Virginia. Three days before the end of the war, on April 6, 1865, he was issued the Medal of Honor for his actions at Chaffin's Farm. He left the army in September 1865.[3]

Holland's wife was Virginia W. Dickey. Milton Holland died from a heart attack at the age of 65 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.

This photo of Holland appears to have been taken later than the other wartime one. The large medal he's wearing could by the Medal of Honor, which would place this photo in 1865, when he was awarded the medal.

Medal of Honor citation

Citation:

Took command of Company C, after all the officers had been killed or wounded, and gallantly led it.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13476226
  2. ↑ From the Virginia Plantation to the National Capitol, by John Mercer Langston, pp 212-217
  3. ↑ African American Faces of the Civil War: An Album, by Ronald S. Coddington, pp 153-156
 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
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