George W. Harris (March 6, 1835 – January 30, 1921) was a United States soldier who fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War as a private with Company B of the 148th Pennsylvania Infantry,[1] a regiment which "was present in every battle of the Army of the Potomac from Chancellorsville to the surrender at Appomattox and was in the hottest fighting of all of them except the Wilderness".

[6] On August 15, 1862, at the age of 33, Harris enrolled for Civil War military service at Milesburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania.

He then officially mustered in for duty at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg as a private with Company B of the 148th Pennsylvania Infantry on August 29.

Engaged in the Union Army's Port Conway Expedition from August 31-September 4, they continued to pursue enemy troops throughout Virginia during the months of September and October.

While engaged with his regiment in charging the "Mule Shoe", a salient exposed during the Battle of Spottsylvania, he wrested the enemy's flag from a Confederate States Army color-bearer, and then shot a second CSA officer who attempted to retrieve it.

After the regiment buried the last of its dead, they withdrew to Wilcox Landing and, beginning June 16, participated with other Union troops in the Siege of Petersburg.

[10] Five days later, on December 6, the U.S. Medal of Honor was presented to Harris personally by Major-General George Meade, commanding officer of the U.S. Army of the Potomac, during a formal ceremony in front of the 148th Pennsylvania and other Union troops near Petersburg, Virginia at the Peebles' House, which had been taken over by the Union for use as the headquarters of the U.S. Second Army Corps.

[19] Preceded in death by his wife in 1906, Harris died in Bellefonte roughly fifteen years later at age 85, and was buried in that community's Union Cemetery.

Although his original headstone was carved with an incorrect death year (1920), a newer, government-issued headstone was carved with the correct death date of January 30, 1921, which was documented in his U.S Civil War Pension file and the U.S. Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards maintained by the U.S. National Archives.