Ignatz Gresser

He was a German immigrant who arrived in New York in June 1852 at the age of 16. In April 1861 he was a cobbler (shoemaker) in Allentown, PA, and he enlisted for three months service in the Allen Infantry, one of the 5 "First Defender" companies. He returned home with them from Washington, DC in July. He enlisted again and mustered on 13 August 1862 as Corporal, Company D, 128th Pennsylvania Infantry for 9 months service.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on 17 September 1862 at Antietam.

His citation reads "While exposed to the fire of the enemy, carried from the field a wounded comrade [Corp. William Sowden]."

He was with the 128th in action at Chancellorsville and then discharged at their expiration of service on 19 May 1863.

By 1870 and to at least 1910 he was a shoemaker in Allentown, PA.

His service from Bates.1 Thanks to Phil Schempf for the pointer to his gravesite and corrections to his life dates. Additional details from family genealogists, the US Census of 1860-1910, and his Union and East End Cemetery bio page. His picture from a reclining photograph from the Lehigh County Historical Society also published in Mahlon H. Hellerich's Allentown, 1762-1987: a 225-year History (1987). Thanks to Andy Cardinal for locating that picture.

He married Mary Magdalena Newhard (1835-1866) and they had two children between 1861 and 1864. He married again, Sally Ann Ebert (1842-1873) and they had a daughter, Emily in 1868.

8/15/1835; Baden, GERMANY

8/1/1919; Allentown, PA; burial in Union and West End Cemetery, Allentown, PA