order he was never court-martialed for his decision to break rank. Indeed, his decision to charge the Confederate advance earned him the Medal of Honor, which was awarded in July 1897. It was stated at the time that Miller's action was the first and only instance in which a US soldier was awarded for disobeying a direct order. Later reports credited Miller's decision as one of the turning points of the Battle of Gettysburg, with one reporter even calling him the man who "won Gettysburg". In a 1906 work by Arthur L. Wagner on military tactics, Wagner contrasted Miller's surprise attack with Lord Cardigan's Charge of the Light Brigade in the Battle of Balaclava. Whereas Cardigan's inaction to attack an exposed flank of the Russian cavalry caused his own brigade to lose the battle, Miller's disobedience served as the catalyst to end the Confederate approach and save the day. Medal of Honor citation Personal life On October 23, 1856, Miller married Elizabeth "Betsy" Ann Hocker. Together they had two children, Caroline and Elizabeth (Lizzie). Betsy died of typhoid in 1859 at the age of 24 before the Civil War began. His daughter Lizzie died in 1862 during the war. In 1868, following the Civil War, Miller married for a second time, to Anna Depui Bush. Together they moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where Miller began a hardware business on North Hanover Street, which he continued in until 1898. Miller was active in local politics, and served as the Chair of the Democratic committee in 1877 and 1888, and Burgess of Carlisle in 1882 and 1883. In 1894 his wife Anna died and Miller never remarried. That same year, he served as the president of the Carlisle Board of Health, a position he held for four years. In 1898 he was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate as a Democrat, serving from 1899 to 1902. Following his stint in the State Senate, Miller sold fire insurance. Miller was also an active force in creating the Hamilton Library Association, which was the forerunner to the Cumberland County Historical Society. To this organization he donated many artifacts from the Civil War, and served as secretary of its library until 1918. Miller died on December 10, 1919, and is buried at Gettysburg National Cemetery. References External links Documentary on Miller by the Cumberland County Historical Society 1836 births 1919 deaths American Civil War recipients of