John Wainwright (July 13, 1839 â April 15, 1915) was a United States military officer during the American Civil War. A native of Syracuse, New York, he was awarded his nation's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his "gallant and meritorious conduct" while serving in the Union Army as a first lieutenant with the 97th Pennsylvania Infantry during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, North Carolina on January 15, 1865.