Joseph Lonsway
Born: March 17, 1844 at Clayton, New York
Home Town: Sackets Harbor, New York
Date of Issue: March 7, 1917
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Joseph Lonsway, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 16 October 1864, while serving with Company D, 20th New York Cavalry, in action at Murfrees Station, Virginia. Private Lonsway volunteered to swim Blackwater River to get a large flat used as a ferry on other side; succeeded in getting the boat safely across, making it possible for a detachment to cross the river and take possession of the enemy’s breastworks.
