Medal of Honor awarded to Private John F. Chase, 5th Maine Battery, Medal of Honor (View 2)

In war, most men and women do their duty. A few ascend beyond duty to perform nobly. A handful become heroes. Sergeant John Chase of the 5th Maine Battery earned this Medal of Honor at the Battle of Chancellorsville, when he and another soldier continued to work their cannon after other members of the battery fell. Two months later, a shell burst next to Sgt. Chase at Gettysburg. He suffered 48 distinct wounds, but survived. His Medal of Honor is now in display at the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park--a symbol of the immense effort and sacrifice embodied by soldiers then and now.