David Urbansky
(1843 - 1897)
David Urbansky (also spelled Orbansky) was a Jewish American soldier who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in honor of his valor during the American Civil War.
Born in Lautenburg, Prussia (modern-day Poland), Urbansky emigrated to the United States at some point before the American Civil War broke out. The service record states that Urbansky entered the army
as a private in the 58th Ohio
Volunteer Infantry on October 28, 1861, was
detailed to the Corps Commissary Department
on September 10, 1863, and was mustered out
on January 14, 1865.
Urbansky earned the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, for his gallantry in action against enemy Confederate forces in the Battle of Shiloh (Tennessee) in 1862 and again at the Siege of Vicksburg (Mississippi) in 1863. His service record records that Urbansky's original medal was lost and that a new one was issued in 1879.
David Urbansky died January 22, 1897, and was buried in Columbus, Ohio.
Sources: Jewish
Recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, compiled by Seymour "Sy" Brody; Library of Congress |