On May 15, 1864, the Union army, under the command of Major General Franz Sigel, was routed at the Battle of New Market, Virginia. Six days later, Sigel was relieved of his command, replaced by Major General David Hunter. The controversial Sigel had been assigned the task of clearing the Shenandoah Valley of Confederate troops; disrupting the use of Staunton, Virginia, as a major supply center; and destroying the Virginia Central Railroad. That assignment did not change with his replacement.

Early in the morning of June 5, 1864, Hunter’s cavalry encountered Confederate cavalry under Brigadier General John Imboden. By 7:00 am the Union troopers had the outnumbered Confederates in full retreat. Nearing the Middle River, Jones had his men take a stand, with the river behind them.

Around noon the Union infantry advanced, driving in the Southerners’ advance line. The rebel main battle line, however, stood strong. As the two sides attacked and counterattacked, the casualty toll rose. Eventually, a gap developed in the Confederate line that was exploited by Hunter’s forces. 

Jones rallied his men and launched his own assault into the advancing Union infantry. In that advance, Jones was killed instantly when a Federal bullet struck him in the head. Now leaderless, the Confederates began a retreat, but near the river bluffs, some 1,000 of them were taken captive. The rebel rear guard delayed the Union pursuit long enough to allow the remainder of the rebel arm to escape. 

The fight proved costly for Jones’s men. In addition to Jones himself, more than 600 of their 5,500 men were killed or wounded, and another 1,000 were taken captive. The Federals had lost 850 of their own, but had 8,500 to start with. The Union troops also captured three Confederate battle flags and nearly 2,000 small arms. 

The next day, Hunter entered Staunton.

James Snedden, Principal Musician, Company E, 54^th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

By James Gindlesperger, historical author

James Snedden was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on September 19, 1849, and came to America with his family at a young age. Once in their new homeland, they settled in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Little about Snedden is known until February 23, 1864, when he enlisted in Company E of the 54^th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Assuming his birth and enlistment dates are correct, it appears that he enlisted at age 15. While we don’t know for sure, it is possible that he enlisted to get the $300 federal bounty, to help his family financially. Bounties were paid to entice enlistees and were used extensively during the Civil War, added in monthly installments to the enlistee’s base pay. Such bounties were outlawed in the Selective Service Act of 1917.

The 54^th PVI had been in existence for two years when Snedden enlisted, and at some point after his enlistment he was promoted to Principal Musician. The 54^th seemed to lead a charmed life in its first two years, seeing limited action in what could best be described as small skirmishes. That all changed shortly after Snedden enlisted. In May the regiment performed heroically at the Battle of New Market. Three weeks later, on June 5, 1864 the regiment fought at the Battle of Piedmont.

At the beginning of the Battle of Piedmont Colonel Jacob M. Campbell ordered Snedden to take all the regimental musicians to the rear. Snedden’s orders were to keep the officers in his sight so he could rejoin his musicians with the regiment when the fighting had subsided. As Campbell was giving Snedden his orders, both observed another member of the regiment fall, badly wounded and unable to continue the fight. Snedden asked Campbell’s permission to leave his position of relative safety and take up his comrade’s weapon and enter the action. With the permission granted, Snedden did just that.

By then the fighting had increased in intensity, and the 54^th Pennsylvania was ordered to charge the Confederate defenses. Soon, the two battle lines were only 75 yards apart. When Confederate General William E. “Gumble” Jones fell, the rebel line broke. The Pennsylvanians took advantage of the breach, charging over the Confederate works, and within seconds the 15-year old musician found himself in hand-to-hand combat. Fighting bravely, he slowly advanced with the rest of the regiment until they reached the Middle River, where they captured numerous prisoners.

At the bank of the river Snedden encountered Confederate Colonel Beuhring H. Jones, commander of the Confederate 1^st Infantry Brigade. Snedden immediately demanded that Jones surrender. Jones, understandably unwilling to surrender to a teenage musician, at first refused. However, when Snedden threatened to shoot him, Jones reluctantly handed over his sword and both his revolvers. Snedden promptly marched his unhappy captive to the rear, where he turned him over to Colonel Joseph Thoburn, commander of the Union’s 2^nd Brigade.

When the war ended, Snedden mustered out on May 31, 1865 and returned to Johnstown and private life. He would work for both the Union Pacific Railroad and the Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad. Later he operated a coal mine. In short, he was just an average citizen who had served in the Civil War.

His anonymity ended on September 11, 1897, when he finally received the recognition he had earned on that battlefield in Piedmont, Virginia in 1864, more than 33 years earlier. That recognition came in the form of the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. His citation reads: “The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Musician James Snedden, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 5 June, 1864, while serving with Company E, 54^th Pennsylvania Infantry, in action at Piedmont, Virginia. Musician Snedden left his place in the rear, took the rifle of a disabled soldier, and fought through the remainder of the action.”

Civil War hero James Snedden died June 14, 1919, and was buried in the Odd Fellow Cemetery in Lexington, Mississippi.

Sources: 

• CMOHS, James Snedden, https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/james-snedden, Accessed May 7, 2025
• Davis, James A., College Music Symposium, https://symposium.music.org/54/item/10638-union-musicians-and-the-medal-of-honor-during-the-american-civil-war.html, Accessed May 7, 2025
• Beyer, W.F., and Keydel, O.F., editors, Deeds of Valor, (Detroit:  Perrien-Keydel Co, 1903), 356
• American Civil War, The, The Battle of Piedmont, https://www.mycivilwar.com/battles/640605.html, Accessed May 6, 2025

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About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor, inspiring America to live the values the Medal represents, and supporting Recipients of the Medal as they connect with communities across America. It survives on private donations.

Chartered by Congress in 1958, its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. There are fewer than 65 living Recipients.

The Society carries out its mission through outreach, education and preservation programs, including the Medal of Honor Museum, Medal of Honor Outreach Programs, the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, and the Medal of Honor Citizen Honors Awards for Valor and Service. The Society’s programs and operations are funded by donations.

As part of Public Law 106-83, the Medal of the Honor Memorial Act, the Medal of Honor Museum, which is co-located with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s headquarters on board the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was designated as one of three national Medal of Honor sites.

Learn more about the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s initiatives at cmohs.org