Manning Force Manning Ferguson Force ( December 17 , 1824 – May 8 , 1899 ) was a lawyer , judge and soldier from Ohio . He became known as the commander of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Union Army during the American Civil War , and was a recipient of the Army Medal of Honor for gallantry in action . Early life and career . Manning F . Force was born in Washington , D . C . , where his father , Peter Force , was the mayor . He attended Harvard College until 1845 , and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1848 . The following year , Force moved to Cincinnati , Ohio , and began his law practice . Civil War . With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 , Force joined the Union forces as major of the 20th Ohio Volunteer Infantry , serving in the Western Theater as part of General James B . McPherson ’ s 17th Corps . Colonel Force ' s 20th Ohio bore the brunt of the Battle of Raymond , Mississippi , in the Vicksburg Campaign . Osborn Oldroyd related the number of casualties from the 20th Ohio to his commander : " " I took the roll - book from the pocket of our dead sergeant , and found that while we had gone in with thirty - two men , we came out with but sixteen - one - half of the brave little band , but a few hours before so full of hope and patriotism , either killed or wounded . Nearly all the survivors could show bullet marks in clothing or flesh , but no man left the field on account of wounds . When I told Colonel Force of our loss , I saw tears course down his cheeks , and so intent were his thoughts upon his fallen men that he failed to note the bursting of a shell above him , scattering the powder over his person , as he sat at the foot of a tree . " " Following the Siege of Vicksburg , Force marched on to northern Georgia , where he fought in the Atlanta Campaign . He was severely wounded in the face during the Battle of Atlanta and was disfigured for life . For his valor during the Atlanta Campaign , Force was promoted to major general of volunteers in March 1865 . In 1892 , he received the Medal of Honor . The citation read , " " Charged upon the enemy ' s works , and after their capture defended his position against assaults of the enemy until he was severely wounded . " " The thirty - seven - year - old lawyer began the conflict as a major and ended as a brevetted major general . Sgt . Osborn Oldroyd noted his leadership when he wrote in his diary : " " As Colonel Force called us to ' Attention ' this morning one of the boys remarked , ' I love that man more than ever . ' Yes , we have good reason to be proud of our Colonel , for upon all occasions we are treated by him as volunteers enlisted in war form pure love of country … . " " In his memoirs printed after the war , Force stated : " " When lying there ( in the trenches outside Vicksburg ) it sometimes occurred to me , what a transformation it was for these men , full of individuality and self - reliance , accustomed always to act upon their own will , to so completely subordinate their wills to the wills of other men . . . Their practical sense had told them an army differs from a mob only in discipline , and discipline was necessary for self - preservation . " " Postbellum activities . After the war , Force returned to Cincinnati , where he became a justice of the Superior Court of Cincinnati . He also authored several law books and became a prominent writer as well as a lecturer . Manning Force is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati . His papers and documents are housed in the Manning Ferguson Force Collection of the Rutherford B . Hayes Presidential Center . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Brigadier General , U . S . Volunteers . Place and date : At Atlanta , Ga . , July 22 , 1864 . Entered service at : Cincinnati , Ohio . Born : Washington , D . C . December 17 , 1824 . Date of issue : March 31 , 1892 . Citation : Charged upon the enemy ' s works , and after their capture defended his position against assaults of the enemy until he was severely wounded .