Capron received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action at Chickahominy and Ashland in Virginia in June 1862.

[a][1][2] The 1860 U.S. census identifies him as the son of head-of-household Horace Capron in Peoria, Illinois.

[3] He joined the 8th Illinois Cavalry at Peoria as a corporal in September 1861, and was promoted to sergeant in 1862.

[5] Capron's horse was killed during a skirmish in September 1863 near Kingsport, Tennessee.

[6] Capron was mortally wounded on February 2, 1864, during a charge near Qualla Town, North Carolina.