John J. Toffey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John James Toffey
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John James Toffey, Medal of Honor recipient
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| Born | June 1, 1844 Pawling, New York, US |
| Died | March 13, 1911 (aged 66) Pawling, New York, US |
| Place of burial |
Pawling Cemetery
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| Allegiance | United States Union |
| Service/ |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1862–1866 |
| Rank |  First Lieutenant |
| Unit | Company F, 33rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War *Battle of Missionary Ridge |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Other work | County Sheriff, New Jersey State Treasurer |
John James Toffey (June 1, 1844 – March 13, 1911) was a United States Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor.
Civil War
Serving first as a Private in Company C, 21st New Jersey Volunteer Infantry (a nine-month service regiment) from August 28, 1862 to June 19, 1863, he was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in Company F, 33rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry on August 23, 1863, and was mustered into the unit on August 29, 1863. He participated in the November 23, 1863 Battle of Missionary Ridge, at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and it was there that he performed the act of bravery that garnered him the Medal of Honor.
His wounds forced his discharge from the 33rd New Jersey on June 2, 1864, and he was appointed into the Veteran Reserve Corps. He served in the VRC as a lieutenant until June 1866. While still in service, he was an eyewitness to Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theater, participated in the search for the conspirators, testified at their trial, and witnessed their subsequent execution.
He received his medal on September 10, 1897.
Post-War Career
After the war he went on to have a life of extensive public service in Hudson County, New Jersey. He served two terms as Hudson County sheriff, served as state treasurer of New Jersey from 1875 to 1891, as an alderman of Jersey City, New Jersey, and was elected as a member of the New Jersey State Legislature.
He died in Pawling, New York, the town of his birth, and was buried in the Pawling Cemetery, near the grave of Civil War Naval hero Rear Admiral John Lorimer Worden, his uncle by marriage of Worden to his father's sister Olive. His grave was marked with a Medal of Honor headstone in 2004, 93 years after his death.
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