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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Quarter Gunner · U.S. Navy

Charles Baker

Quarter Gunner Charles Baker, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on August 5, 1864 at Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War August 5, 1864

Quarter Gunner Charles Baker 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. Metacomet. Baker was about 55 years old.

97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.

Baker was born in 1809 in Georgetown (Washington), District of Columbia. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. Baker died on August 3, 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of about 82. He is buried at Mount Moriah in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Baker is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.

★ Rescue & Lifesaving

Official Medal of Honor citation

Served on board the U.S.S. Metacomet. As a member of the boat's crew which went to the rescue of the U.S. Monitor Tecumseh when the vessel was struck by a torpedo in passing the enemy forts in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864, Q.G. Baker braved the enemy fire which was said by the admiral to be "one of the most galling" he has ever seen, and aided in rescuing from death 10 of the crew of the Tecumseh, eliciting the admiration of both friend and foe.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Georgetown — map
  • Buried: Mount Moriah Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. 1809
    Born in Georgetown (Washington), District of Columbia
  2. August 5, 1864
    Act of valor — Mobile Bay, Alabama
    Age about 55. U.S.S. Metacomet
  3. August 3, 1891
    Died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Age about 82.
  4. Resting place
    Mount Moriah
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Biography

Charles Baker (1809 – August 3, 1891), also known as Henry Baker, 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 at the Battle of Mobile Bay.

From the Wikipedia article “Charles Baker (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on August 5, 1864

TA Thomas E. Atkinson Yeoman · Navy Civil War · 1864 JA James Avery Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 WB William Blagheen Ship's Cook · Navy Civil War · 1864 JB John Brazell Quartermaster · Navy Civil War · 1864 JB John Brown Captain of the Forecastle · Navy Civil War · 1864 RB Robert Brown Captain of the Top · Navy Civil War · 1864 WB William H. Brown Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1864 WB Wilson Brown Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1864 JB John M. Burns Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 WC William M. Carr Master-at-Arms · Navy Civil War · 1864 MC Michael Cassidy Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1864 JC James B. Chandler Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1864

See all 98 recipients for August 5, 1864 →

More Civil War recipients from New York

GB Gurdon H. Barter Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1865 Thomas M. Burke Private · Army Civil War · 1863 JW John Henry Weeks Private · Army Civil War · 1864 Martin Schubert Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Theodore Schwan First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 AR Alexander Robinson Boatswain's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1864
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.