John F. Chase

John F. Chase (1843–1914) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. An artilleryman, Chase earned the medal by continuing to work his cannon despite intense Confederate fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville. He later participated in the Battle of Gettysburg and was severely wounded, losing his right arm, by a Confederate artillery shell. After the war, Chase worked as an inventor before moving to the St. Petersburg, Florida, area. In Florida, he was involved in various business pursuits, including an attempt to form a retirement community for former soldiers in Veteran City, today known as Gulfport.

Early life Chase was born in Chelsea, Maine to Oliver and Rachel Chase. In June 1861 he joined Company B of the 3rd Maine Infantry. In November of that year he transferred to the 5th Maine Artillery.

Battle of Chancellorsville Chase joined the Army from Augusta, Maine, and by May 3, 1863, was serving as a private in the 5th Battery, Maine Light Artillery. On that day, during the Battle of Chancellorsville, his unit was ordered to move forward through heavy fire, set up their six cannons, and commence firing on the Confederate forces. Confederate artillery had been established on a ridge away, and the guns poured heavy fire onto the 5th Maine's designated position. Within thirty minutes of setting up their own cannons, half of the men in Chase's battery were dead. Soon, all of the battery's officers had been killed or wounded and Chase's cannon was one of only two that were still operational. Lieutenant Edmund Kirby from the 1st U.S. Battery arrived to take command of the 5th Maine. Immediately after reaching Chase's gun, a Confederate shell exploded nearby and struck Kirby in the hip, leaving him incapacitated. As he lay beside the cannon, Chase asked if he wanted to be taken from the field, and Kirby replied, "No, not as long as a gun can be fired."

Eventually, Chase and another man, Corporal James Lebroke, were the only members of the battery still standing. Together, they continued to fire their cannon, with Chase sponging and ramming the muzzle, despite sustained fire from the Confederate artillery and approaching infantry. The gun was finally disabled when it was hit directly in the muzzle by a Confederate shell; the damage prevented Chase and Lebroke from reloading the weapon. Chase again asked Lieutenant Kirby if he wanted to be carried from the field, and Kirby replied, "No, not until the guns are taken off." While Chase and Lebroke lifted the rear of their cannon, Sacriste and his company attached ropes to the front and pulled the gun from the field.

For these actions, Chase was awarded the Medal of Honor several decades later, on February 7, 1888.

Chase's official Medal of Honor citation reads: Nearly all the officers and men of the battery having been killed or wounded, this soldier with a comrade continued to fire his gun after the guns had ceased. The piece was then dragged off by the two, the horses having been shot, and its capture by the enemy was prevented.

A Confederate shell exploded near where Chase was standing. The blast took off his right arm, destroyed his left eye, and sent forty-eight pieces of shrapnel into his body. He was carried, unconscious, to the rear and left for dead. Two days later, his body was loaded onto a wagon along with many others to be buried. The wagon driver heard him moan, pulled him out from among the dead bodies, and gave him a drink of water. The first words Chase said were "Did we win the battle?". He married Maria Merrill and had seven children: George Edgar, Lena M, Beulah C, Frank, Maude Elizabeth, Ralph, and Bernette.

In 1895 he moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he engaged in a series of business ventures. These included working as a food peddler, owning a steamboat, and trying unsuccessfully to gain permission to build a power station and streetcar. His interest in the electric power industry brought him into contact with F. A. Davis, and he was involved in Davis' Florida West Coast Company. Using funding provided by Davis, Chase promoted the growth of Veteran City, today known as Gulfport, on St. Petersburg's southwest side. He encouraged the sale of land in the area and used his connections with veterans' organizations to arrange buyers from among former soldiers.