Medal of Honor

[Army]

Here is my Great Great Grandfather.

The President of the United States
in the name of
The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the

Medal of Honor

to

CUMPSTON, (Compston) JAMES M.

Rank and Organization: Private, Company D, 91st Ohio Infantry. Place and Date: At Shenandoah Valley Campaign, August to November 1864. Birth: Gallia County, Ohio. Date of Issue: Unknown

Born: 1837 at Gallia County, OH

Entered Service in the US Army from Portsmouth, OH

Earned The Medal of Honor During the Civil War For heroism August - November, 1864 at Shenandoah Valley Campaign, VA at the Battle of Cedar Creek, VA.

Died: May 24, 1888 at the age of 51

Citation:
Private James Cumpston (Compston) was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in various engagements with rebel forces in the Shenandoah Valley from August to November, 1864. Among his many acts of valor, he captured a flag of the Confederate army.


Capture of Confederate Regimental Flag.


Buried in Coalton Cemetery in Coalton, Ohio (Jackson County)

http://www.homeofheroes.com/gravesites/ ... es_oh.html

[Army]

FIDO,

No we do not have it, but it can, if we request it from my understanding. Our last name sounds like it is pronounced with a silent U, but is spelled with an O. They mis-spelled his last name when he signed up for the War. But, it is now recorded on file and corrected at the archieves in D.C. His discharge record is on file at the Jackson County Court House. He signed it with his mark. So he did not evidently know how to write his name. He entered service in Portsmouth, trained at Ironton Ohio with his Uncle who I might add died there before the Regiment left for War. His cousin from Gallia County near Rio Grande was captured and died in the Conferedate Prison Camp at Andersonville, GA.

The Confederate colors he captured were from an Alabama Regiment. They are still cased and stored at the Ohio Army National Guard HQ's at Beightler Armory in Dublin, Ohio. When I was in the Ohio Army National Guard in the 90's I used to drill up there for a few years when I was with a PSB Battalion. All the Confederate captured colors not returned back to the respected Southern States are still cased there.

My Great Great Grandfather died in Coalton, Ohio and is buried there. Most of my ancestors on my Fathers Side of the family migrated from Virginia, to Ironton and Gallia County. Most of them finally settled in the late 1860's after the Civil War in (Jackson County) where they worked in the coal mines. Especially, the Wellston and Coalton area. I have all the documents, copies from the national archieves in a book on him. When he was awarded the MOH by the Secretary of War he was given a furlough. I have the script copy where they sent him on train to Hamden, Ohio from Virginia.

My other Great Great Grandfather on my Mothers Side fought in the same Regiment, the 91st OVI, but he served in K Company. Both were members of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) Lodge in Coalton, Ohio. That's neat. The GAR is sort of like our American Legion or VFW. A society for Civil War Veterans.

He was from Coalton, Ohio too.


Respectfully

Army

[Tigercannon71]

Thats is awesome Army.

[Army]

FIDO / Tigercannon71....Thanks!,

I probably will request the copy. It's neat to have an ancestor who was heroic. I have a whole scrap book dedicated to him. I am the amateur genologist of our family. I have been since the early 80's. I have traced both sides of my family.

On my mothers side, my Great great, great, great, great grandfather is buried in Scioto TWP in Jackson County at Grahamsville. Most of the tombstones are kicked over by cows now. The cemetery is located on a farm. He was a Revolutionary War Soldier who was given a tract of land in the Northwest Territory, now Ohio in what is now Jackson County for his War Service. He was from Virginia and served with a unit from Virginia. My Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather served in the Indian Wars in Ohio and Kentucky of the late 1790's and served with the Ohio Milita in the War of 1812 on the frontier part of the War. One great great great Uncle served in the Mexican War on my mothers side is buried in Hamilton, TWP Christian Church Cemetery in Jackson County near Minford off SR 139.

Both my Great Great Grandfathers on my mothers side served in the Civil War. And both of my Great Great Grandfathers on my Fathers side too. The Civil War ones were on the Union Side.

My Great Great Grandfather who won the MOH's brother, my great great Uncle, refused to fire at one Confederate outfit in battle, against a Virginia Unit. The history recorded in the family bible was written, due to some realitives fighting on the Johnny Rebs side, that my Great Great Uncle knew they were in. They busted him to PVT from Sergeant and put him on work details for a few months. The Union Soldiers fought, but when they were closer to one unit, the story is written down that several noticed their kin on the other side from across the River. (Virginia)..now West Virginia. Around the Point Pleasent Area. The story states, several from the Gallia County Unit refused to shoot at their realitives. Realitives from VA, what is now part of West Virginia. Some that joined the Confederate side instead of breaking and serving the Union side which later caused WV to be created.

He's lucky they were not shot. Most of the Unit was a muster of men from Gallia and Meigs Counties.

I had one great Uncle who served in the Spanish American War in the Philippines Campaign on my Mom's side. I had two great Uncles on my Dad's side, who served in WWI they were the older ones. One went and served in France with the AEF and one only made it to Ft. Dix, N.J. My grandmothers brother, my Great Uncle, served with Marines in the 20's in China during the rebellion by the boxers. My dad's two younger Uncles, my great uncles served in WWII. One in the Army in Italy and one in the USMC in the Pacific. My Grandpa, my Dads, Dad somehow managed to get out of serving in WWII. He was born in 1903. My mom's dad served in the NAVY in WWII in the Pacific as a SEABEE. He was recalled for Korea and served on the USS Midway. My dad had 3 older brothers fight in WWII, 2 in the Army in Europe, one with the 2d Armored Division and one with the 101st Airborne Division on D-Day and at Bastogne. One in the Navy in the Pacific on a Destroyer. My moms cousin, My great aunts son, was in the Army Air Corps, was a left waist gunner on a B-17 that was shot down over Augsburg with the 457th BG, 748th Sq, 8th AAF on the 4th misson. They never found his remains. He is listed on the tablets at the Luxembourg Cemetery as missing. I have all the data from his record too from the Army AAF archieves. I have been to that cemetery when I was stationed in Germany, while spending a weekend at Luxembourg City. That is where General Patton is buried.

My Dad was in Korea in the Army, and he had another brother who served in the Army and one in the Air Force in the late 50's and early 60's. My moms brother served in the Air Force in the mid-late 50's in Japan. My older brother served in Vietnam in the USMC, my younger brother served in the U.S. Air Force for 8 years.

I have served in the USMC 3-years, U.S. Army 8-years, Ohio Army National Guard 8-years and U.S. Army Reserve 11-years.

So yeah, you could say it's well rooted on both sides of my family to serve in the service of our Nations Military. I guess I just followed in their footsteps.

I never intended to ever make a career of it though.

I am the 4th one who became a Pastor in my family in the States. My Great Great Great Grandpa on my Moms side and my Great Great Grandpa on my moms side. Both were Baptist Preachers and Coal Miners in Jackson County. My Great Uncle, My Grandpa's brother on my moms side was a Methodist Preacher too.

No one on my Dad's side in the States that I know of, but there is one ancestor who was an Anglican Priest in the (Church of England) from Sheffield, England.

Respectfully

Army

[thirtytrap]

That is OUTSTANDING stuff Army.

14 years of service here myself. Oh yea FIDO, if I remember correctly the first word in your name wasn't forget.

U.S. Army Paratroopers
All the way.

[Army]

True but you know the PC police woud have me in timeout.

We know that all too well

Hey Cowboy how's everything going

Hope all is well

Army

[purpleblood1]

Not to many Compston's in this world. I coached with a Denny Compston at WV Tech and he always looked in the phone book when we were on the road to see there was any and there usually wasn't.

[Army]

Not to many Compston's in this world. I coached with a Denny Compston at WV Tech and he always looked in the phone book when we were on the road to see there was any and there usually wasn't.

Purpleblood1,

That's for sure about the Compston name. There is not many in the Country. There are several around the New Lexington and Springfield area who are realitives on our Grandpa's side of the family and a few around the Huntington, WV area too. Some in California, Nevada, Texas and the New England area. Especially Boston. The family comes from the Sheffield England area.

Denny is my first cousin. I have not seen him or his sister Vickie since the early 1970's when I was in H.S. He was raised up around Sandusky where my Uncle Bill, his Father, was transferred on the old B-O Railroad. Once his dad, my Uncle Bill retired, he moved back to his hometown of Wellston, Ohio until he passed away. In the Compston Family that Denny hails from, Our Grandpa Jim who had seven boys, all who were standouts at Wellston High School. There was Jim, Bill....Denny's Dad, Bob, John, Jerry, Tom and Earl. Our Uncle Tom was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the old AFL without any college playing time. They just looked at his H.S. time. But he never went to try out. Our Uncles Jerry and Tom were also basketball standouts at Wellston. All those boys worked on the railroad like our Grandpa, but only Bill...Denny's Dad, Jerry and Tom stuck with it and retired from the railroad. The others went into other areas. All of the Compston Uncles were Football players and avid football fans. All of them served in the military except our Uncle Tom. Our Uncle Jim who served initally in the Merchant Marines prior to WWII and then joined the Army. He was a (WWII Veteran) who I believe jumped with the 101st Airborne Division at Normandy on D-DAY, Bill...Denny's Dad (WWII Veteran), John (Vietnam Era 50's-60's) and Jerry who served in the U.S. Army in the 50's. John serving the longest in the Army, 8 years. Our Uncle Bob (WWII Veteran) who served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific and our Uncle Earl who served in the U.S. Air Force (Vietnam Era in the 60's) Earl prior to enlisting in the USAF, played football one year at Eastern Kentucky University. Our Uncles Tom and Earl played on the last Wellston Golden Rocket SEOAL back-to-back Championship Teams in the late 1950's defeating Logan for it.

My cousin Denny, I believe graduated from Dennison College where he played football there too. I believe he is a year or two older than me if memory serves me right. His Dad, my Uncle Bill, graduated from Wellston H.S. in the 1940's. He made all SEOAL as a Fullback when he played for Golden Rockets. As stated above, he was also a U.S. Army WWII Veteran that served in Europe. The last time I heard anything about Denny, he was coaching at Urbana in the 1990's. I think he is coaching at Virginia-Wise College at the present, not sure though.

So how is he as a coach? If he is like his Dad, he is intense. I remember my Dad stating in the late 1960's that his Dad, my Uncle Bill made him lift weights at a early age to get him ready for football each and every year.

[D Owens]

Army:

http://www.uvawise.edu/athletics/footba ... pston.html

[abuck76]

That is way cool Army....Were you always a chaplin in the service, even in the Marines?................