Two Manchester Civil War participants earned the Medal of Honor

Left: Certificate of Frederick Alber’s Medal of Honor. Right: Certificate of John A. Falconer’s Medal of Honor. Photos courtesy Chuck Steele & American Legion post #117. Center: An 1896 Medal of Honor. Photo credit: Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

by Marsha Chartrand

Two years ago in the Mirror, https://wp.me/p3ZFr0-iQR, we told the story of Manchester’s own living hero Chuck Steele and his 70+ years of commitment to his country and community.

But he recently learned that he’s just one among several Manchester men who have been honored in a variety of different ways for their service. Just in time for Medal of Honor Day this year, on March 25, Chuck was cleaning out some storage at the Legion home on the corner of Duncan and Adrian streets and located two framed reproductions of certificates that report John A. Falconer and Frederick Alber, both entering service in Manchester during the Civil War, had earned the Congressional Medal of Honor in July of 1896 for two incidents that had happened one year apart, on May 12, 1863, and May 12, 1864.

They were two men from Manchester who served their country and earned this prestigious honor, which is reserved for “normal Americans, everyday citizens, who did something extraordinary on a day when the nation needed them to do it,” as quoted by Capt. Chris Cassidy, president and CEO of the soon-to-open National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Tex. “There are 3,526 stories to tell and we’re excited to deliver this project to the nation.”

Corporal Falconer, who was born in 1844 in Washtenaw County and entered service in Manchester before the village’s inception, conducted a “burning party” of his regiment at the time a charge was made on the enemy’s picket line, and burned the house that had sheltered the enemy’s sharpshooters, thus ensuring success to a hazardous enterprise.

Pvt. Alber, born in Germany in 1838, entered service in Manchester in the 17th Michigan Infantry and received his medal for an incident in Spotsylvania, Va., on May 12, 1864. He had “bravely rescued Lt. Charles H. Todd of his regiment, who had been captured by a party of Confederates, by shooting down one, knocking over another with the butt of his musket, and taking them both prisoners.”

These actions earned the young Manchester men accolades for their heroism under high-pressure situations at the time their nation called upon them. According to Steele, he’s unaware of any Falconers still remaining in Manchester today, but there are, of course, still members of the Alber family in town. In fact, his late wife, Elaine, was an Alber. He also indicated that there may have been a third Civil War honoree, but he was unable to locate it that day.

“It would be another huge project to have to go searching for it,” Chuck quipped.

We have a long and rich tradition of dedicated service in Manchester in which we can all take pride.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.