Memorial Day is usually a time to mourn those who perished during the nation’s military conflicts. While this article is surely about death, it highlights an Army soldier from Delaware who made it through the conflict he volunteered for and who was recognized with the country’s highest award for valor.
John Maberry was born in Smyrna on Dec. 17, 1841. At 19, in August 1861, he enlisted in the Army during the Civil War. His 1st Delaware Regiment subsequently participated in some of the costliest battles in the war. For instance, Maberry fought at Chantilly in September 1862, where there were a combined 2,100 deaths between Union and Confederate forces. That was followed by the Antietam battle later that month, where nearly 23,000 were killed. The 1st Delaware Regiment was also part of the December 1862 battle at Fredericksburg, a Confederate victory in which a total of 18,000 troops on both sides died.
Despite its brevity, the Battle of Gettysburg produced 51,000 military deaths of Union and Confederate troops. The 1st Delaware Regiment was at the Pennsylvania fight in July 1863. Private Maberry was one of 900 Delawareans who saw action during the three-day battle. Of those, three were awarded the Medal of Honor, the recently created highest military award for valor. While James Parke Postles earned his recognition for action on Day Two of the battle, Maberry joined Delawarean Bernard McCarren in capturing an enemy flag during Pickett’s Charge on Day Three.
Following Gettysburg, Maberry was eventually promoted to sergeant and fought in other significant battles during the war. He was wounded during the Battle of the Wilderness, when almost 29,000 troops perished. Later, Maberry joined elements of his regiment at the Siege of Petersburg, part of a 10-month battle where 70,000 men were killed.
Adding up the deaths from battles where John Maberry took part, his regiment witnessed about 35% of all deaths in the Civil War. That total is devastating when compared to entire wars that the United States has been involved in, as it accounts for twice the total American deaths in World War I, half the total in World War II and four times the casualties in the Vietnam War.
To date, the Medal of Honor has been presented to over 3,500 persons. The Civil War accounts for 43% of all awards. Maberry’s Medal of Honor was awarded in December 1864 and is unique for three reasons. First, it was bestowed relatively quickly after the event that led to its awarding, especially when compared to the most recent Medal of Honor recipient, who waited 70 years after the Korean War for proper due. Second, Maberry was still in active service when he received the honor and stayed in the military for another eight months. Third, the inscription for his award was short, noting only the capture of an enemy flag. Nonetheless, by luck and skill, he fulfilled the timeless criteria for the MOH, demonstrating conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life and beyond the call of duty.
Of those nine Medal of Honor recipients buried in Delaware, only John Maberry called Dover his hometown. After the Civil War, Maberry married twice, had nine children and was a farmer. He passed on his 81st birthday in 1922. He is buried at the Glenwood Cemetery in Smyrna. Like countless other Americans over the eons of time, he answered the call of duty. It is the service and sacrifice of all men and women of the military that we commemorate today.
Dr. Samuel B. Hoff is George Washington Distinguished Professor Emeritus of history and political science at Delaware State University. He served as DSU’s ROTC director from 1993-99 and is a lifetime member of the Delaware Medal of Honor Historical Association.
