Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Seaman Bartlett Laffey received the Medal of Honor for his actions on March 5, 1864 off Yazoo City, Mississippi during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Marmora. Laffey was about 23 years old.
2 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. He later rose to the rank of Acting Master's Mate.
Laffey was born in 1841 in Galway, County Galway, Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Laffey died on March 22, 1901 in Chelsea, Massachusetts, at the age of about 60. He is buried at Old Calvary Cemetery in Roslindale, Massachusetts.
Laffey is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Off Yazoo City, Miss., 5 March 1864, embarking from the Marmora with a 12-pound howitzer mounted on a field carriage, Laffey landed with the gun and crew in the midst of heated battle and, bravely standing by his gun despite enemy rifle fire which cut the gun carriage and rammer, contributed to the turning back of the enemy during the fierce engagement.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →
Timeline
- 1841Born in Galway, County Galway, Ireland
- March 5, 1864Act of valor — off Yazoo City, MississippiAge about 23. U.S.S. Marmora
- March 22, 1901Died in Chelsea, MassachusettsAge about 60.
- Resting placeOld Calvary CemeteryRoslindale, Massachusetts
Biography
Bartlett Laffey (1841 – March 22, 1901) was an Irish American United States Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient.
From the Wikipedia article “Bartlett Laffey”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
Named in his honor
- USS Laffey — destroyer
