In April of 1862, William Henry Harrison Reddick, a corporal in the 33rd Ohio Infantry, took part in a raid 200 miles behind Confederate lines that became known as the Great Locomotive Chase. He was captured and spent nearly a year in Confederate prisons before being exchanged in March of 1863. On March 25, 1863, he and five comrades received the very first Medals of Honor from Secretary of War Stanton, and they then met privately with President Abraham Lincoln so he could personally express the nation’s gratitude for their heroism and sacrifice.