Quartermaster Edward S. Martin, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on August 5, 1864 at Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Galena. Martin was about 24 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Martin was born in 1840 in Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Martin died on December 23, 1901 in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of about 61. He is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Records also list him as Jones, Edwin S..
Martin is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the U.S.S. Galena during the attack on enemy forts at Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Securely lashed to the side of the Oneida, which had suffered the loss of her steering apparatus and an explosion of her boiler from enemy fire, the Galena aided the stricken vessel past the enemy forts to safety. Despite heavy damage to his ship from raking enemy fire, Martin performed his duties with skill and courage throughout the action.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →
Timeline
- 1840Born in Ireland
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge about 24. U.S.S. Galena
- December 23, 1901Died in Brooklyn, New YorkAge about 61.
- Resting placeCypress Hills National CemeteryBrooklyn, New York
Biography
Edward or Edwin S. Martin (1840 – December 23, 1901) 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. Born in 1840 in Ireland, Martin immigrated to the United States and was living in Philadelphia when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the Civil War as a quartermaster on the USS Galena. At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he "performed his duties with skill and courage" as his ship assisted the disabled USS Oneida while under heavy fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later on June 22, 1865.
From the Wikipedia article “Edward S. Martin”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
