05/25/2026
The Washington Soldiers Home Cemetery in Orting, Washington, is the final resting place of four Medal of Honor recipients. All four heroes were awarded the nation's highest military honor for their extraordinary actions during the American Civil War.
The four Medal of Honor recipients buried there are:
Private George L. Houghton
Unit: Company D, 104th Illinois Infantry
Action Date: July 2, 1863 (Elk River, Tennessee)
Action: Voluntarily attacked and captured an enemy stockade under heavy fire to save a bridge.
Corporal Alexander U. McHale
Unit: Company H, 26th Michigan Infantry
Action Date: May 12, 1864 (Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia)
Action: Charged the enemy, captured a Confederate color, and carried the flag to the enemy's works.
Sergeant Albert O'Connor
Unit: Company A, 7th Wisconsin Infantry
Action Date: March 31 & April 1, 1865 (Gravelly Run, Virginia)
Action: Recaptured a Union officer from a Confederate detachment, and later seized a stand of Confederate colors in hand-to-hand combat.
Sergeant William H. Sickles
Unit: Company B, 7th Wisconsin Infantry
Action Date: March 31, 1865 (Gravelly Run, Virginia)
Action: Alongside a comrade (O'Connor), he captured three Confederates and rescued a captured Union officer. Notably, Sickles passed away in 1938 as the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the Civil War.
