Biography of John Hulick Wageman

John Hulick Wageman
Congressional Medal of Honor
Company I
1841-1916

John Hulick Wageman was born in Amelia, Clermont County, Ohio, on March 22, 1841. He was the son of George Robinson Wageman (1813-1893) and Catherine Maria (Hulick) Wageman (1817-1902). John�s mother, Catherine was the cousin of Mary Ann Hulick, the first wife of George. Mary Ann died July 18, 1836. George and Catherine were married on November 9, 1837. All of these events occurred in Clermont County, Ohio, where they lived as farmers.

John came from a family that was rich in military service to the country. Three of his Great-grandfathers served in the Revolutionary War; John Hulick was a sergeant in the 2nd Regiment of the Middlesex County, New Jersey Militia, Charles Robinson with the 13th Virginia Regiment and John Weaver of the Berkeley County, Virginia Militia. John�s Grandfather, John Phillip Wageman was a volunteer with a cavalry unit during the War of 1812. All of these men were early pioneers of Clermont County, Ohio.

On July 6, 1863, at the age of 22 years, John joined the reserves of the 6th Cavalry, Ohio Volunteer Guard. This unit was later mustered into Federal service as the 60th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry on the 24th day of February 1864. On that day in Columbus, Ohio, John entered service as a private, had brown hair, hazel eyes, and light complexion and was five foot nine inches in height. He was paid a bounty of $60.00 with $240.00 due to him at the end of enlistment.

The 60th Ohio completed military training at Camp Chase, located west of Columbus, Ohio and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. John�s regiment was soon involved with many Virginia campaigns, including the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-7, Spottsylvania Court House, May 8-12 and the battle of Cold Harbor, June 1-12, 1864.

From Cold Harbor, the 60th Ohio was forced to march a full day and night, reaching the outer defenses of Petersburg, Virginia at 10:00 a.m. on the morning of June 16th. After a short sleep for the exhausted soldiers, Major-General Ambrose E. Burnside (1824-1881) issued orders to the commander of the Third Division, Brigadier-General Orlando B. Willcox (1823-1907) to attack the defenses at Petersburg. The 60th Ohio was part of the attack on Confederate batteries No. 13 & 14, which began at 6:00 p.m. Both batteries were captured with the main fighting ending at nightfall.

During the charge on batteries No. 13 & 14, a Confederate mini-ball struck John in the left thigh. While he lay wounded in the field, John fired all 40 cartridges in support of his comrades. Melvin Whitaker, John�s first cousin who also served in the 60th Ohio, helped carry him from the field on a stretcher.

John was sent to the Third Division Field Hospital at City Point, Virginia. On July 28, 1864, he was transferred north to Mt. Pleasant, Army General Hospital, Washington, D.C. While at Mt. Pleasant Hospital, John contracted diphtheria, which resulted in chronic diarrhea and deafness in both ears. He received a furlough November 11th and was readmitted to the hospital on November 30, 1864.

On December 17, 1864, John was discharged from the hospital and ordered to return to the 60th Regiment. His Company was involved in trench warfare at the Siege of Petersburg and he was required to lie in wet dugouts built into the embankment. On January 19, 1865, he was promoted to Corporal. On March 3, 1865, John Hulick Wageman was recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor, by Major-General John G. Parke (1827-1900), Commander of the IX Army Corps, Army of the Potomac for his gallantry during the assault at Petersburg on June 16, 1864.

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest medal awarded by the United States. It has been awarded 3,428 times in the nation�s history. The Medal of Honor was established by Joint Resolution of Congress on July 12, 1862 and is issued by the President of the United States.

After the fall of Petersburg on April 2, 1865, the 60th Ohio pursued General Robert E. Lee�s army until the eventual surrender at Appomattox Court House. On July 28, 1865, John was honorably discharged from active duty by reason of the close of the war. On the same day after the Grand Review down the streets of Washington DC, the entire 60th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry was mustered out of service.

John returned home to Clermont County, Ohio and married Mary Elizabeth Crane on December 19, 1866. Mary was born on December 6, 1841, near Bethel, Ohio. George W. Swing, Minister of God, performed the ceremony. There is an official record of their marriage at the Probate Court Office in Batavia, Clermont County, Ohio.

Their first son, George M. Wageman was born on August 12, 1869, in Clermont County. A second son, Frank Raymond Wageman, was born March 4, 1877, but did not survive childhood. He died on March 18, 1878 and is buried in Clermont County.

On March 18, 1892, John applied and received a government pension. William S. Matthews, Ezra Chatterton, James H. Drake and William F. Crane filed affidavits of support. By May of 1912, his pension had been increased to $20.00 a month. John was a farmer who lived off the land and a monthly pension must have been important to his family�s well being. In the area they lived there were many relatives. John and Mary did most of their shopping at a general store called Gregg & Hulick Company, which was owned by his cousin.

On July 27, 1896, John Hulick Wageman was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by the President William McKinley. His citation reads: "He remained with his command after being severely wounded until all forty rounds of cartridges had been fired and John had to be helped off of the field." To this day, it is not known where the medal is located.

On January 4, 1916, John Hulick Wageman took ill from the influenza and died on January 12, 1916, at 1:20 p.m. He was 74 years, 9 months, and 17 days old. The attending physician was B. B. Davison, M.D. and the undertaker was N. T. Dailey. John�s widow, Mary Elizabeth Wageman, died in Zanesville, Ohio, on December 31, 1927. At the time of her death, she was receiving a Government Widow�s pension of $30.00 per month.

Allen, Thomas B. The Blue and the Gray, 1992.
Bradds, Hezekiah. The National Tribune: "With The 60th Ohio Around Petersburg", 1926.
Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary, Vintage Books, 1991.
Divine, Robert A. Divine. America, Past and Present, 1984.
Everts, Louis H. History of Clermont County, Ohio, 1880.
Gonzales, Wanda. The Wagemans of Clermont County, Ohio, 1980.
Horn, John The Petersburg Campaign, 1993.
Johnson, Curt & Mark McLaughlin. Civil War Battles, 1977.
Marvel, William. Burnside, The University of North Carolina Press.
Military record of John Wageman, File #40356, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Pension record of John Wageman, File #102796, National Archives, Washington D.C.

A special thanks to Bryan P. Weaver for writing this biography. Bryan P. Weaver was a second cousin to John Hulick Wageman.