![]() James Madison Cutts Captain, United States Army Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army |
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Born
in Washington, D.C. in 1838 he earned the
during the Civil War while serving as Captain, 11th United States Infantry,
at The Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864. The
Medal was actually issued on May 2, 1891.
He died on February 24, 1903 and was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery. His grandson, James Madison Cutts III (April
5, 1891-June 8, 1951) who served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army from the
District of Columbia is buried in the same section.
CUTTS, JAMES M. Rank and organization: Captain, 11th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Wilderness; Spotsylvania; Petersburg, Virginia, 1864. Entered service at: Illinois. Birth: Washington, D.C. Date of issue: 2 May 1891. Citation: Gallantry in action.
Book Description: Hero of the Republic is the biography of triple Medal of Honor winner, James Madison Cutts, Jr. A gallant officer on the staff of General Ambrose E. Burnside, Madison was court-martialed for looking at a woman undressing in a hotel, publicly disgraced, and sentenced to be dismissed from the service. President Lincoln, seeing treachery and jealousy in his court-martial, gave him a personal reprimand and sent him back to his unit with the Army of the Potomac. Determined to regain his honor or die trying,
Madison distinguished himself at the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania,
and Petersburg to such a degree that he was universally acclaimed as a
hero of the Republic. For conspicuous gallantry in battle, he was awarded
a triple Medal of Honor.
"Colorful" hardly describes the career of this
Union officer. From a prominent family and a graduate of Brown University
and Harvard Law School, Cutts joined the army in 1861 and was awarded a
triple Medal of Honor, the only such medal ever issued, for bravery at
the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg. However the medal was not
given until 1891, the delay due in part to a string of career-busting events.
These include being caught peering over the transom at a married woman
while she undressed, refusing a challenge to a duel, three courts martial,
involvement with a pyromaniac army doctor, ripping the chevrons off one
soldier's uniform and hitting another so hard that Cutts broke his own
hand, and seizing property owned by an influential carpetbagger.
Children: James Madison Cutts, Thomas Cutts,
Walter Coles Cutts, Richard Cutts, Jr., Dolley Payne Madison Cutts, Mary
Estelle Elizabeth Cutts, and Richard Dominicus Cutts.
![]() Photo Courtesy of Russell C. Jacobs CUTTS, JAMES M
CUTTS, JAMES MADISON
CUTTS, AMY P W/O JAMES MADISON III
Webmaster: Michael
Robert Patterson
Updated: 24 September 2000 Updated: 18 August 2001 Updated: 15 March 2003 Updated: 17 September 2005 Updated: 20 August 2006 Updated: 17 October 2007 |
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