Near Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Second Battle of Reams Station

Medals of Honor

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 19, 2024

1. Second Battle Of Reams Station Marker

Inscription.

Second Battle of Reams Station. Medals of Honor.

"Every hero sooner or later receives his just reward." , Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to Pvt. Patrick J. Ginley, 1st NYLA, USA

, Like so many other battlefields across the world, Reams Station has a connection to our nation's highest award for valor. At the First Battle of Reams Station, Capt. Edward Whitaker of the 1st Connecticut Cavalry, acting as an aide to Gen. James Wilson, carried a dispatch through Confederate lines to Union headquarters. On April 2, 1898, Whitaker was awarded the Medal of Honor for this action., During the second battle, Confederates drove away gunners from a cannon that stood across the railroad (modern Halifax Road) to your right. After having his horse shot out from under him, Pvt. Patrick J. Ginley crept to the gun and "put three charges of canister in... and fired the piece directly into a body of the enemy about to seize the works." Ginley evaded capture and headed for the rear. He later seized the flag of a Massachusetts regiment from a dead color bearer and led a charge that recaptured the other three guns of the battery., For his actions, Ginley received the Medal of Honor., Along the road in the vicinity of the trail's parking lot, Chief Bugler Ferdinand Frederick Rohm of the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry rushed to rescue the badly wounded Col. James Beaver, who lay in danger of being trampled by cavalry horses. Rohm carried Beaver to safety, helping to save his life, and received the Medal of Honor for his actions., Capt. James Milton Pipes took his company of the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry to halt a Confederate flank movement. He was wounded and lost his right arm. Pipes' quick response and his efforts to rescue a wounded comrade at Gettysburg the previous year were both noted in his Medal of Honor citation., Pvt. Terrence Begley of the 7th New York Heavy Artillery lost his life at the Second Battle of Reams Station. On December 1, 1864, Begley posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Cold Harbor., (captions) , A U.S. Army Civil War-era Medal of Honor., Bugler Ferdinand Rohm remembered: "I noticed a field officer lying on his back...in the middle of the road...I saw he was wounded. I jumped off my horse.... Taking my blanket from under my horse we put him on it, and under heavy fire dragged him back to our retrenchments." James Beaver, the officer that Rohm rescued, later became governor of Pennsylvania. All images courtesy of the Library of Congress

"Every hero sooner or later receives his just reward." —Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to Pvt. Patrick J. Ginley, 1st NYLA, USA

Like so many other battlefields across the world, Reams Station has a connection to our nation's highest award for valor. At the First Battle of Reams Station, Capt. Edward Whitaker of the 1st Connecticut Cavalry, acting as an aide to Gen. James Wilson, carried a dispatch through Confederate lines to Union headquarters. On April 2, 1898, Whitaker was awarded the Medal of Honor for this action.

During the second battle, Confederates drove away gunners from a cannon that stood across the railroad (modern Halifax Road) to your right. After having his horse shot out from under him, Pvt. Patrick J. Ginley crept to the gun and "put three charges of canister in... and fired the piece directly into a body of the enemy about to seize the works." Ginley evaded capture and headed for the rear. He later seized the flag of a Massachusetts regiment from a dead color bearer and led a charge that recaptured the other three guns of the battery.

For his actions, Ginley received the Medal of Honor.

Along the

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road in the vicinity of the trail's parking lot, Chief Bugler Ferdinand Frederick Rohm of the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry rushed to rescue the badly wounded Col. James Beaver, who lay in danger of being trampled by cavalry horses. Rohm carried Beaver to safety, helping to save his life, and received the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Capt. James Milton Pipes took his company of the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry to halt a Confederate flank movement. He was wounded and lost his right arm. Pipes' quick response and his efforts to rescue a wounded comrade at Gettysburg the previous year were both noted in his Medal of Honor citation.

Pvt. Terrence Begley of the 7th New York Heavy Artillery lost his life at the Second Battle of Reams Station. On December 1, 1864, Begley posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Cold Harbor.

(captions)
A U.S. Army Civil War-era Medal of Honor.

Bugler Ferdinand Rohm remembered: "I noticed a field officer lying on his back...in the middle of the road...I saw he was wounded. I jumped off my horse.... Taking my blanket from under my horse we put him on it, and under heavy fire dragged him back to our retrenchments." James Beaver, the officer that Rohm rescued, later became governor of Pennsylvania. All images courtesy of the Library of Congress

Erected by American

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 19, 2024

2. Second Battle Of Reams Station Marker

Battlefield Trust.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is August 25, 1864.

Location. 37° 5.808′ N, 77° 25.29′ W. Marker is near Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. It can be reached from Reams Drive (Virginia Route 606) 0.1 miles west of Halifax Road ( Route 604), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Petersburg VA 23805, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Southside Virginia,

and specifically in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Second Battle Of Reams Station

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(about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Ream's Station (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Second Battle Of Reams Station (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Second Battle Of Reams Station (approx. 0.2 miles away); North Carolina (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fighting At Reams Station (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Reams Station (approx. 4.2 miles away); The Petersburg Railroad (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Petersburg.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Battle of Reams Station (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named The Battle of Reams Station (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Ream's Station (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been confirmed missing); a different marker also named The Battle of Reams Station (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named The Battle of Reams Station (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Reams Station Battlefield. American Battlefield Trust (ABT (Submitted on March 19, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2024, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 499 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 19, 2024, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.