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Jacob Gunther (c. 1844–1871)

A Schuylkill County cavalryman of the Indian Wars, honored on the Pottsville memorial, whose Medal of Honor predates his death by less than two years. Markers: ★ verified · ✔ confirmed · ✎ corrects a common error · ⚑ open/caution.

Jacob Gunther earned the Medal of Honor as a corporal in Company E, 8th U.S. Cavalry, “for bravery in scouts and actions against Indians during 1868 and 1869” in the Arizona Territory. ★ The medal was issued on September 6, 1869. ★

Gunther died on March 29, 1871, at Fort Wingate, New Mexico, and is buried in the Santa Fe National Cemetery. ★

He is named on the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial in Pottsville among Schuylkill County’s recipients, and local accounts place him at Minersville. ✔ ⚑ National recipient records confirm his unit, action, and death but carry no birthplace, and they give his year of birth variously (about 1844, and elsewhere 1849); both his exact birth year and his specific Schuylkill County origin rest on the memorial and local tradition rather than a primary vital record, and are noted here as such.

Honored on: Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial.

Sources

Frequently asked

What did Jacob Gunther do to earn the Medal of Honor?
Gunther served as a corporal in Company E, 8th U.S. Cavalry. His Medal of Honor, issued September 6, 1869, was awarded for bravery in scouts and actions against American Indians in the Arizona Territory during 1868 and 1869.
How is Jacob Gunther connected to Schuylkill County?
He is one of the recipients named on the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial in Pottsville, which records him among Schuylkill County's Medal of Honor men; the memorial and local accounts associate him with Minersville. National recipient records confirm his service and death but do not state his birthplace.