John F . Chase John F . Chase ( 1843 – 1914 ) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor . An artilleryman , Chase earned the medal by continuing to work his cannon despite intense Confederate fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville . He later participated in the Battle of Gettysburg and was severely wounded , losing his right arm , by a Confederate artillery shell . After the war , Chase worked as an inventor before moving to the St . Petersburg , Florida , area . In Florida , he was involved in various business pursuits , including an attempt to form a retirement community for former soldiers in Veteran City , today known as Gulfport . Battle of Chancellorsville . Chase joined the Army from Augusta , Maine , and by May 3 , 1863 , was serving as a private in the 5th Battery , Maine Light Artillery . On that day , during the Battle of Chancellorsville , his unit was ordered to move forward through heavy fire , set up their six cannons , and commence firing on the Confederate forces . Confederate artillery had been established on a ridge away , and the guns poured heavy fire onto the 5th Maine ' s designated position . Within thirty minutes of setting up their own cannons , half of the men in Chase ' s battery were dead . Soon , all of the battery ' s officers had been killed or wounded and Chase ' s cannon was one of only two that were still operational . Lieutenant Edmund Kirby from the 1st U . S . Battery arrived to take command of the 5th Maine . Immediately after reaching Chase ' s gun , a Confederate shell exploded nearby and struck Kirby in the hip , leaving him incapacitated . As he lay beside the cannon , Chase asked if he wanted to be taken from the field , and Kirby replied , " No , not as long as a gun can be fired . " Eventually , Chase and another man , Corporal James Lebroke , were the only members of the battery still standing . Together , they continued to fire their cannon , with Chase sponging and ramming the muzzle , despite sustained fire from the Confederate artillery and approaching infantry . The gun was finally disabled when it was hit directly in the muzzle by a Confederate shell ; the damage prevented Chase and Lebroke from reloading the weapon . Chase again asked Lieutenant Kirby if he wanted to be carried from the field , and Kirby replied , " No , not until the guns are taken off . " Stationed next to the 5th Maine Battery during the battle was the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry of the Irish Brigade . Seeing that their position was about to be overrun , Second Lieutenant Louis J . Sacriste , in command of the 116th Pennsylvania ' s Company D , led his men through the smoke and enemy fire to reach the 5th Maine . While Chase and Lebroke lifted the rear of their cannon , Sacriste and his company attached ropes to the front and pulled the gun from the field . The rest of the 116th Pennsylvania and then the whole Irish Brigade joined in , pulling all of the cannons and caissons to safety . Satisfied that the cannons were out of the Confederates ' reach , Chase returned to the field , picked up Lieutenant Kirby , and carried him to the rear . Before Chase left , Kirby took down his and Lebroke ' s names and stated " If ever two men have earned a Medal of Honor , you have , and you shall have it . " Kirby died of his wounds three weeks later . For these actions , Chase was awarded the Medal of Honor several decades later , on February 7 , 1888 . Louis Sacriste was also awarded the medal , in part for his actions in saving the 5th Maine Battery ' s cannons . Chase ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : Nearly all the officers and men of the battery having been killed or wounded , this soldier with a comrade continued to fire his gun after the guns had ceased . The piece was then dragged off by the two , the horses having been shot , and its capture by the enemy was prevented . Battle of Gettysburg . Two months after earning the Medal of Honor at Chancellorsville , Chase participated in the Battle of Gettysburg . The 5th Maine Battery was a part of General John F . Reynolds ' I Corps and fought at Seminary Hill on the first day of the battle , July 1 , 1863 . As the Confederates advanced , the corps fell back past the town of Gettysburg , with Chase ' s battery taking up a position on a knoll between Culp ' s Hill and Cemetery Hill . On the battle ' s third day , July 3 , the Confederates launched an assault on Cemetery Hill . Chase ' s battery fired with devastating effect on the attacking infantry , and in response , three or four Confederate batteries began targeting the 5th Maine ' s position . A Confederate shell exploded near where Chase was standing . The blast took off his right arm , destroyed his left eye , and sent forty - eight pieces of shrapnel into his body . He was carried , unconscious , to the rear and left for dead . Two days later , his body was loaded onto a wagon along with many others to be buried . The wagon driver heard him moan , pulled him out from among the dead bodies , and gave him a drink of water . The first words Chase said were " Did we win the battle ? " . Chase was taken to an Army hospital set up on a farm outside of Gettysburg and lain down beside a barn . The doctors there ignored him , thinking that he would die any minute , while they tended to other patients . After three days of lying on the ground , his wounds were bandaged and he was eventually moved into the farmhouse , where he stayed for a week . Sent to Seminary Hospital , his condition was still grim and about three weeks after arriving , he was again set outside to die . Despite the doctor ' s predictions , Chase survived his wounds . Following three months at Seminary Hospital , he was taken to West Philadelphia Hospital , where he stayed until he was well enough to return home to Augusta . Post - war life . After the war , he returned to Maine and worked as an inventor , receiving dozens of patents for his work . His most well - known invention was a collapsible hoop skirt and bustle combination . He married Maria Merrill and had five children : Lena , Beulah , Frank , Ralph , and Maud . In 1895 he moved to St . Petersburg , Florida , where he engaged in a series of business ventures . These included working as a food peddler , owning a steamboat , and trying unsuccessfully to gain permission to build a power station and streetcar . His interest in the electric power industry brought him into contact with F . A . Davis , and he was involved in Davis ' Florida West Coast Company . Using funding provided by Davis , Chase promoted the growth of Veteran City , today known as Gulfport , on St . Petersburg ' s southwest side . He encouraged the sale of land in the area and used his connections with veterans ' organizations to arrange buyers from among former soldiers . Chase , aged 70 or 71 at his death , was buried at Saint Bartholomew Episcopal Cemetery in St . Petersburg . His Medal of Honor was passed down through his family until reaching great - grandson Steve Chase . On May 3 , 2009 , the 146th anniversary of the day John Chase earned the medal , his great - grandson donated it to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park during a ceremony at the park ' s Chancellorsville Visitor Center .