Sailmaker's Mate Anthony Williams was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on December 24, 1864 at Fort Fisher & Wilmington, North Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Pontoosuc. Williams was about 42 years old.
8 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Williams was born in 1822 in Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. His Medal of Honor is credited to Portsmouth, Maine.
Williams is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 66 credited to Maine.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Served as sailmaker's mate on board the U.S.S. Pontoosuc during the capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington, 24 December 1864 to 22 February 1865. Carrying out his duties faithfully throughout this period, Williams was recommended for gallantry and skill and for his cool courage while under the fire of the enemy throughout these various actions.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
- Born: Plymouth — map
Timeline
- 1822Born in Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
- December 24, 1864Act of valor — Fort Fisher & Wilmington, North CarolinaAge about 42. U.S.S. Pontoosuc
Biography
Anthony Williams (born c. 1822, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Wilmington Campaign. Born in about 1822 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Williams was living in Portsmouth, Maine, when he joined the Navy. He served as a sailmaker's mate on the USS Pontoosuc in the Wilmington Campaign, from the First Battle of Fort Fisher on December 24, 1864, through the campaign's end on February 22, 1865. For his actions during this period, he was awarded the Medal of Honor months later, on June 22, 1865.
From the Wikipedia article “Anthony Williams (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
