Sgt. Albert Townsend
Sgt. Albert Townsend (August 2, 1843 – November 10, 1894) was a Union soldier in the American Civil War who served in the 34th Battery, New York Light Artillery (sometimes called the “Bad Boys of Flushing”)
Born to a farming family in Great Neck, New York, he enlisted at age 18 on November 18, 1861, in Flushing. He served through many major campaigns and battles, including Second Manassas, Antietam (Burnside’s Bridge), Fredericksburg, the Siege of Vicksburg, Fort Sanders, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and the Petersburg campaign.
His most noted action occurred on September 30, 1864, at the Battle of Peebles Farm (also associated with Pegram’s Farm) near Petersburg, Virginia. His battery was on the left flank of the 9th Army Corps when an estimated 3,500 Confederates launched a mass assault. Supporting infantry units fled, leaving the four-gun battery exposed. The temporary commander froze and nearly ordered a retreat, but Townsend—the number-one man (sponger) on the number-one gun—rallied the battery. They fired volleys of double canister that helped halt the attack until reinforcements (including the 109th New York and 7th Rhode Island) arrived, preserving the left flank of Grant’s army.
He was nominated for the Medal of Honor along with others from the battery (several of whom received it), but a clerical error in transcription left his name off the official list. His great-great-grandsons (Douglas and Robert Scheidet) later rediscovered the records and have led efforts, with historians, to correct the oversight and secure a posthumous Medal of Honor.
A film about his story, So Help Me God, is in development with Kelsey Grammer directing and Mark Huffam producing; it also highlights themes of courage, friendship (including with African-American soldier Charles Veale, who did receive the Medal of Honor), and the clerical injustice.
After the war, Townsend returned to Flushing, worked as a postal worker, married Leanna Trenchard in 1866, and had two children. He died on November 10, 1894; his wife died shortly afterward. Both are buried in Flushing Cemetery.
Civil War sergeant, Albert Townsend is currently drawing significant attention due to the Medal of Honor campaign and film project.
