The story of John J. Toffey is a little different than that of Boggs and Waldron in that he survived the war, but his day at Citico Creek changed his life forever. After serving as a private in the 21st New Jersey, Toffey was appointed a 1st Lieutenant with Company F of the 33rd. At the time of the battles of Chattanooga, Toffey was sick. In fact, when the regiment was ordered to advance, the regimental surgeon told him he had no business being there and should go to the hospital.
Toffey was not, however, going to miss the regiment's first fight and when Captain Boggs was wounded, Colonel Mindil ordered Toffey to take his place (probably unaware of Toffey's health). Toffey who had struggled to keep up during the advance, immediately went forward to carry out his assignment, working his way as "bullets flew like hailstones."
When the young officer arrived at his command, he was wounded in the thigh before he could even give any orders. Toffey lay on the ground for an hour before being removed to a hospital. Although the wound was not fatal, Toffey's active military service was over and he would be hampered by his wound for the rest of his life. Toffey stayed in the army in the Veterans Reserve Corps (wounded or disabled soldiers who could perform some duty) and happened to be at Fords Theater, the fatal night of Lincoln's assassination.
After the war, Toffey was very active in politics, serving in the state legislature and as Hudson County Sheriff. In 1897, on recommendation of Colonel Mindil, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service at Citico Creek. The awarding of medals long after the war was not uncommon. For example, Joshua Camberlain did not receive his Medal of Honor for this actions at Gettysburg until long after the war.
No comments:
Post a Comment