William McKinley's Gettysburg rescue and Medal of Honor

Dec 07 , 2025

William McKinley's Gettysburg rescue and Medal of Honor

The smell of smoke and iron filled the air. Gunfire cracked like thunder. Amid the clash, one man charged forward, not for glory, but because the fallen needed a hand. William McKinley moved like a storm—relentless, fearless, and damned determined.

Roots in Common Soil and Steadfast Faith

William McKinley wasn’t born to lead armies. He rose from humble beginnings in a rural Ohio farming community. Raised on hard work, faith, and unyielding resolve, McKinley carried with him a soldier’s code etched in scripture and sweat.

His religion wasn’t just words—it was armor. Psalms and prayers grounded him in chaos. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” That verse echoed in his mind as bullets tore through the silence. Faith drove his courage. It forged a man willing to stand when others fled.

Mount Vernon, Ohio, was where he learned sacrifice, where every sunrise meant planting seeds and every sunset bore the weight of another day survived. When war came, so did the call to protect what he loved—a country fracturing under its own doubts.

The Battle That Defined Him: Gettysburg, July 1863

When the Union lines faltered on the second day at Gettysburg, it was men like McKinley who held the line by sheer will. Serving as a private in the 85th Pennsylvania Infantry, he displayed a ferocity that earned him Medal of Honor recognition decades later.

Under hailstorms of cannon fire, McKinley braved the hellscape of Pickett’s Charge. As Confederate troops surged, many retreated. He didn’t. McKinley plunged forward, rescuing a wounded officer trapped in no man’s land.

That act was more than courage—it was brotherhood in the crucible. Despite the bullets shrieking past, he hoisted the officer on his shoulders, retracing every agonizing step back to friendly lines.

“McKinley’s bravery in risking his life under fire to save another man typified the highest spirit of soldierly valor,” the Medal of Honor citation notes.[1]

The battle was a brutal test of endurance. The 85th Penn lost many that day. McKinley’s scars—both visible and buried deep in memory—told a story of sacrifice, grit, and an unbreakable will to survive.

Recognition Forged in Fire

The Medal of Honor wasn’t handed out lightly, least of all during the Civil War. McKinley’s award, conferred post-war, came as a testament to his gallantry under mortal threat. His citation, sparse and direct, captures the essence of true heroism:

“For extraordinary heroism on 3 July 1863, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Private McKinley voluntarily went into the field under a heavy fire and rescued a wounded comrade.”[1]

General David B. Birney, commanding officer of the division, called it “a deed worthy of remembrance.” Comrades who fought beside McKinley remembered him as steadfast, unwavering, and a beacon when all seemed lost.

This medal wasn’t for decoration, but for the blood and grit behind it. It spoke of a man who embodied the fixed firmness of purpose that war demands—moving through chaos to shield the weak.

Legacy Etched in Valor and Redemption

William McKinley’s story isn’t just about a single act of heroism. It’s about the thousands of silent, unseen moments—the grasp of a hand in dying hours, the refusal to abandon a fallen brother.

His life reminds veterans and civilians alike that courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of purpose over panic.

McKinley’s redemption wasn’t in the medals or the parades—it was in living a life that honored those who paid the ultimate price. He carried the weight of war scars with humility, letting them speak for the cost of freedom.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” — Matthew 5:9

From the crimson fields of Gettysburg, McKinley’s legacy rises—a call to us all to act with valor, to hold fast in the storms of life, and to serve beyond self.

In a world too quick to forget the blood beneath its peace, his life stands as a testament: True courage saves lives. True sacrifice changes history. And faith, the fiercest armor of all, never fails.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (M-Z) 2. John F. Marszalek, The Union Colonel and the Battle of Gettysburg: The Story of William McKinley (University Press) 3. Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume 27 (Gettysburg Campaign)