Ernest von Vegesack Ernst Mattias Peter von Vegesack ( June 18 , 1820 – January 12 , 1903 ) was a Swedish volunteer in the Union Army during American Civil War and later on was a member of the parliament of Sweden . After his return to Sweden , he was awarded the brevet grade of Brigadier general of volunteers and in 1893 he received the Medal of Honor for bravery in the Battle of Gaines ' Mill . Career in Sweden . Ernest von Vegesack was born on the Baltic island of Gotland as a member of the Swedish nobility . In 1840 he became an army officer of Gotlands nationalbeväring . Two years later he was transferred to Dalregementet . He was educated in surveying and worked until 1850 as a surveyor in Dalarna County . In 1852 he was transferred to Saint Barthélemy , then a Swedish possession in the Caribbean . After his return to Sweden , he received the command over Dalregementet and he was also supervising the Gävle - Dala Railroad , the first long railroad of Sweden . American Civil War . At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 , von Vegesack left for the United States and joined the Union Army . He became captain of the 58th Ohio Infantry . The same year , he was promoted to major in the staff of general John E . Wool . First he served in Fort Monroe . As an aide - de - camp ( ADC ) to Mansfield he took part in the artillery bombardment of Newport News . In 1862 he resigned , but then he joined McClellan in his siege of Yorktown . As an ADC to Butterfield he took part in the battles of Hanover Court House , of Seven Pines and of Fair Oaks . He was at the Battle of Mechanicsville , Gaines ' s Mill , Savage ' s Station , and Malvern Hill . Vegesack was appointed colonel of the 20th New York Infantry , the German " Turner " regiment . He was given the command over the 3rd brigade in general Smith ' s division of the 6th Army Corps . He took part in the battles of Manassas and Bull Run . He captured the heights outside Jefferson , Maryland . He displayed bravery at Antietam . Vegesack was in the Battle of Fredericksburg . In May 1863 Vegesack ' s regiment was a part of Hooker ' s left wing in the Battle of Chancellorsville . Vegesack resigned from the Union Army on June 1 , 1863 and returned to Sweden . On February 22 , 1866 , President Andrew Johnson nominated von Vegesack for award of the brevet grade of brigadier general of volunteers , to rank from March 13 , 1865 and the U . S . Senate confirmed the appointment on April 10 , 1866 . Back in Sweden . After his return to Sweden , Vegesack was promoted and given the command over Västerbottens regemente in 1864 . The next year he got married to Edla Amalia Sergel . In 1868 he was transferred to Hälsinge regemente . From 1874 till 1884 he was military commander of his native Gotland . Promoted to Major general in 1884 , he was appointed commander of Sweden ' s 5th military district . Vegesack resigned from the military in 1888 . From 1879 till 1887 Vegesack sat in the upper house of the parliament of Sweden as a delegate for Gotland . Ernst von Vegesack died January 12 , 1903 at Stockholm , and was buried at Skogskyrkogården in Stockholm ] . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Major and Aide _ de _ Camp , U . S . Volunteers . Place and date : At Gaines Mill , Va . , 27 June 1862 . Entered service at : New York , N . Y . Birth : Sweden . Date of issue : 23 August 1893 . Citation : While voluntarily serving as aide _ de _ camp , successfully and advantageously charged the position of troops under fire .