Union Private
Jacob Wilson Parrott, a member of Andrews’ Raiders, was exchanged along with
other members of the Raiders on March 17th 1863 for Confederate
soldiers at Camp Point, Virginia.
Jacob Wilson
Parrott was born July 17th 1843 in Fairfield County, Ohio, the son
of George and Anna (Landfair) Parrett Jr.
At the
beginning of the Civil War, Parrott joined the 90 day 20th Ohio
Infantry. When the term of service was
up he went home to Kenton, Ohio where he enlisted in Company K of the 33rd
Ohio Infantry. His first combat was
November 8th 1861 during the Battle of Ivy Mountain.
In April
1862 when James J Andrews was looking for volunteers to take part in his raid,
Parrott joined with 21 other men, becoming known as Andrews’ Raiders. The Raiders slipped 200 miles south behind
Confederate lines and hijacked the train “The General”. Parrott was among the men who were captured
during the raid. While being held as a
prisoner he was beaten numerous times in an attempt to get him to talk. Parrott even escaped once with fourteen others,
but was recaptured. He was part of a
prisoner exchanged March 17th 1863.
After the
exchange Parrott was taken to Washington, DC where he met with President
Abraham Lincoln. Parrott, the youngest
surviving member of Andrews’ Raiders, was the first man to receive the Medal of
Honor. He would serve out the rest of
the war ending as a First Lieutenant.
When the war
ended Parrott returned to his home in Ohio.
He ran a stone quarry and worked as a cabinet maker. While walking home on December 22nd
1908, he had a heart attack and died.
Parrott is buried in the Grove Cemetery in Kenton, Ohio.
Parrott’s
Medal of Honor citation reads: One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians)
who, by direction of Gen. Mitchell (or Buell) penetrated nearly 200 miles south
into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an
attempt to destroy the bridges and tracks between Chattanooga and Atlanta.
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