Ionia City Post Office to be renamed in honor of Sgt. Alonzo Woodruff

WASHINGTON – In an effort to preserve the memory of Civil War hero Sergeant Alonzo Woodruff, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill (H.R. 5479) on Wednesday to rename the Ionia City Post Office in his name. The bill now awaits approval by the Senate.

Sergeant Woodruff was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for rescuing two Union soldiers in brutal hand-to-hand encounters with Confederate forces. The Michigan native lived in Ionia County before joining the Union cause in 1861.

Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers introduced the bill after learning of Sgt. Woodruff’s heroism from Woodruff’s great, great granddaughters and from Mrs. Maureen Powell’s eighth grade American social studies class. “It would be a shame for Alonzo Woodruff’s story of bravery to fade with time. Renaming the Ionia City Post Office in his name will remind the residents of Ionia of this great man’s deeds every day,” said Congressman Ehlers.

A monument recently placed in front of the Ionia County Courthouse also commemorates Sgt. Woodruff’s heroism.

Alonzo Woodruff was 22 years old when he volunteered to serve in the Union army.  On October 27, 1864, during the Battle of Hatcher’s Run in Virginia, Sergeant Woodruff rescued a wounded and overpowered comrade held captive by a Confederate soldier. Later that day, he was severely injured while rescuing another Union soldier from Confederate captors. Sgt. Woodruff survived the encounter and moved back to Michigan where he fathered three children with his wife Harriet. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1896 for his heroism in Virginia at the Battle of Hatcher’s Run.