# Joseph B. Chambers

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Joseph B. Chambers," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/joseph-b-chambers/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*Civil War Medal of Honor recipient buried at Oak Park Cemetery in New Castle, Pennsylvania, whose grave John Kiriakou discovered as a child while looking for salamanders — sparking a lifelong interest in history.*

- **Unit:** Company F, 199th Pennsylvania Infantry ("the Round Heads")
- **Action:** Capture of Confederate battle flag, Battle of Petersburg, March 25, 1865
- **Medal of Honor:** Awarded July 27, 1871
- **Burial:** Oak Park Cemetery, New Castle, Pennsylvania
- **Died:** 1908

**Joseph B. Chambers** was a private in Company F of the 199th Pennsylvania Infantry, nicknamed "the Round Heads," who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for capturing the Confederate battle flag of the 1st Virginia Infantry at the Battle of Petersburg, Virginia, on March 25, 1865 — weeks before the war's end. He was awarded the medal on July 27, 1871, at age 38.[1]

## Discovery by Kiriakou

[John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) discovered Chambers's grave at Oak Park Cemetery in New Castle, Pennsylvania, at age eight or nine while searching for salamanders. The marker's inscription — noting the capture of Confederate colors — led Kiriakou and his mother to research Chambers's story at the local library, an episode Kiriakou credits with sparking his lifelong interest in history.[2]

## Later life

After the war, Chambers returned to the village of Eastbrook just outside New Castle, where he farmed until his quiet death in 1908.[3]

## See also

- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)

## Sources

1. Mini Episode 4: Grave Concerns (2025-12-15), at 02:08. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/693edf68f817d7dbe8033bd9/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-12-15-dead-drop-mini-episode-4-grave-concerns/
2. Mini Episode 4: Grave Concerns (2025-12-15), at 01:38. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/693edf68f817d7dbe8033bd9/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-12-15-dead-drop-mini-episode-4-grave-concerns/
3. Mini Episode 4: Grave Concerns (2025-12-15), at 02:43. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/693edf68f817d7dbe8033bd9/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-12-15-dead-drop-mini-episode-4-grave-concerns/

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From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/joseph-b-chambers/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt