George Washington Healey survived a head wound to end the war as one of Jefferson Davis' guards

摘要

The volunteer soldiers of the Civil War never fail to amaze. Men who were farmers, factory workers or shop clerks often eagerly joined the army as a lark, fueled by woodcut-illustrated accounts of war that emphasized glory over gore. When faced with bloody reality, some quailed, most managed to stick to their task and a few acquitted themselves so well that they earned the Medal of Honor. George Washington Healey, a Dubuque, Iowa, native born on February 22,1842, was among that last select group. When the Civil War broke out, Healey, a youth of 19 working as a clerk in a hardware store, enlisted in the Union Army.