Ordinary Seaman Bartholomew Diggins was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 5, 1864 at Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Hartford. Diggins was 19 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Diggins was born on October 9, 1844 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Maryland. Diggins died on February 23, 1917 in Key West, Florida, at the age of 72. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Diggins is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 85 credited to Maryland.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the flagship U.S.S. Hartford, during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks, Diggins as loader of a gun remained steadfast at his post throughout the furious two-hour battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram Tennessee and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Maryland →
Timeline
- October 9, 1844Born in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge 19. U.S.S. Hartford
- February 23, 1917Died in Key West, FloridaAge 72.
- Resting placeArlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia
Biography
Bartholomew Diggins (October 9, 1844 – February 23, 1917) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for actions in the American Civil War.
From the Wikipedia article “Bartholomew Diggins”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →