George W. Harris (1835–1920)

A Schuylkill County native son, honored on the Pottsville memorial though his soldiering and his grave belong to Centre County. Markers: ★ verified · ✔ confirmed · ✎ corrects a common error · ⚑ open/caution.

George W. Harris earned the Medal of Honor at Spotsylvania Court House on May 12, 1864. ★ In the charge on the “Mule Shoe” salient he wrested an enemy battle flag from a Confederate color-bearer in hand-to-hand combat, then shot a second officer who tried to take it back. He served with Company B, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry; the medal was issued December 1, 1864. ★

Harris was born in Schuylkill County on March 6, 1835 — the tie for which he is named on the Pottsville memorial. ★ He enrolled for service in Centre County in 1862, was severely wounded at the Battle of White Oak Road (near Five Forks) on March 31, 1865, and after the war lived and died in Centre County, where he is buried at Bellefonte. ✔ ✎ He is not the Tennessee humorist George Washington Harris, a different man of the same name.

Honored on: Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial.

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Sources

• Congressional Medal of Honor Society — George W. Harris
  License: reference

  Authoritative Medal of Honor recipient roster; facts here are summarized from the listed sources, not reproduced.

• The Pennsylvania Rambler — Medal of Honor: George W. Harris
  License: reference

  Supports the biographical detail: enrollment at Milesburg, Centre County (1862); the wounding at the Battle of White Oak Road / Hatcher's Run, near Five Forks (March 31, 1865); and burial at Union Cemetery, Bellefonte.

• Wikidata: George W. Harris (Q5545636)
  License: CC0
• Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial, Pottsville (Historical Marker Database)
  License: reference

Frequently asked

What did George W. Harris do to earn the Medal of Honor?

In the charge on the 'Mule Shoe' salient at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, on May 12, 1864, Harris wrested an enemy battle flag from a Confederate color-bearer in hand-to-hand combat and then shot a second officer who tried to recover it. He served with Company B, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry; the medal was issued December 1, 1864.

How is George W. Harris connected to Schuylkill County?

Harris was born in Schuylkill County in 1835 and is named on the Pottsville Medal of Honor Memorial as a county native. He enrolled for service in Centre County, served in the 148th Pennsylvania, and is buried in Bellefonte; this is a different George W. Harris from the Tennessee humorist of the same name.