James J. Purman

James J. Purman (March 21, 1841 – May 10, 1915) was an American soldier who fought with the Union Army in the American Civil War. Purman received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for actions taken on July 2, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Early years Purman was born in 1841 near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania to a farming family. He began a job typesetting at the local newspaper and attended Waynesburg College while simultaneously teaching at a local school.

Civil War service

Due to a series of Union defeats in 1862, Purman decided to drop out of school to organize a volunteer Army unit. Purman, along with four other men, started a volunteer cavalry corps out of Greene County, Pennsylvania. The first volunteer to enlist was James Pipes, who would go on to serve with Purman and later earn the Medal of Honor himself for their shared actions.

Personal life Following the war, Purman finished his degree at Waynesburg College and went on to marry Mary Witherow, one of the daughters of the family he lived with during his recuperation. Together they had two children. He became a principal of a Baptist school and later opened a law practice in Greene County. In 1907, Purman invited the Confederate soldier who saved him during the Battle of Gettysburg, Thomas Oliver, to Washington to meet President Theodore Roosevelt.

Purman died on May 11, 1915, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.