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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Ordinary Seaman · U.S. Navy

Charles Read

Ordinary Seaman Charles Read, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on March 6, 1865 in St. Marks, Florida during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War March 6, 1865Born in Sweden

Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Ordinary Seaman Charles Read received the Medal of Honor for his actions on March 6, 1865 in St. Marks, Florida during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Magnolia. Read was about 25 years old.

One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. He later rose to the rank of Ship's Cook.

Read was born in 1840 in Sweden — one of 17 recipients born in Sweden. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. He is buried at New York.

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

Official Medal of Honor citation

As seaman on board the U.S.S. Magnolia, St. Marks, Fla., 5 and 6 March 1865. Serving with the Army in charge of Navy howitzers during the attack on St. Marks and throughout this fierce engagement, Read made remarkable efforts in assisting transport of the gun, and his coolness and determination in courageously standing by his gun while under the fire of the enemy were a credit to the service to which he belonged.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Cambridge — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. 1840
    Born in Sweden
  2. March 6, 1865
    Act of valor — St. Marks, Florida
    Age about 25. U.S.S. Magnolia
  3. Resting place
    New York

Biography

Charles Read (born 1840, 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 at the Battle of Natural Bridge. Born in 1840 in Cambridge, New York, Read joined the Navy from that state. By March 5, 1865, he was serving as an ordinary seaman on the USS Magnolia. On that day and the next, he accompanied a Union Army force during the Battle of Natural Bridge near St. Marks, Florida. He helped transport and fire a naval howitzer throughout the engagement despite heavy Confederate fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor three months later, on June 22, 1865.

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

Also honored for actions on March 6, 1865

GP George Pyne Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865

Same unit

JL John S. Lann Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1865 TS Thomas Smith Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865

More Civil War recipients from New York

WL William Laing Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 ✦ RS Richard Stout Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1863 CR Charles L. Russell Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 AT Andrew Traynor Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 JM James McIntosh Captain of the Top · Navy Civil War · 1864 JW James W. Webb Private · Army Civil War · 1862
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.