4 1864, Mitchell and his regiment were assigned to the Overland Campaign of Lieutenant-General Ulysses S. Grant, which immediately brought them under fire in the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5–7). On May 7, Mitchell was commissioned, but not mustered as a captain, and placed in charge of Company A. It was then that Mitchell performed the act of valor which ultimately resulted in his being awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor. On May 12, 1864, while leading his men as first lieutenant of A Company with the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry, in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Mitchell was wounded in action while capturing the enemy’s flag during a hand-to-hand encounter with the color-bearer of the 18th North Carolina Infantry (Confederate States Army). Following his recuperation, Mitchell was then wounded in action again on June 16, 1864 during the Siege of Petersburg. Treated for his injuries but deemed not well enough to continue serving, he was discharged honorably on a surgeon’s certificate of disability on November 15. Post-war life Following his honorable discharge from the military, Alexander H. Mitchell secured employment in the oil industry in Burning Springs, West Virginia, and then returned home to Pennsylvania where, in 1866, he married Sarah (Repine) Mitchell (1845–1925). Employed as a well engineer in 1870, he resided with his wife and children, Cecil (born circa 1867) and Jane/June (born 1870), in Oil City, Pennsylvania. Their children Ross Tyson and Clara were born, respectively, in October 1880 and November 1885. During this decade, he and his family resided in Indiana, Pennsylvania In 1889, they relocated to Harrisburg in Dauphin County when Mitchell began work as a messenger for the Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs. After the turn of the century Mitchell continued to live in Harrisburg with his wife, their son Ross, who was employed as an artist, and daughter Clara. According to the federal census taker, he and his wife had had eight children together, only three of whom were still alive by 1900. Illness, death and interment In later life, Mitchell developed heart disease and dropsy which ultimately led to his being confined to bed during the final year of his life. He died at the age of 72 on March 7, 1913 at his home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mitchell was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia. Medal of Honor citation Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company A, 105th