Quartermaster Edward Wright was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions between April 24 and 25, 1862 in Forts Jackson & St. Philip and New Orleans, Louisiana during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Cayuga. Wright was about 33 years old.
18 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Wright was born in 1829 in New York, New York. Wright died on February 17, 1901 in New York, New York, at the age of about 72. He is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, New York.
Wright 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
On board the U.S.S. Cayuga during the capture of Forts St. Philip and Jackson and the taking of New Orleans, 24 and 25 April 1862. As his ship led the advance column toward the barrier and both forts opened fire simultaneously, striking the vessel from stem to stern, Wright conscientiously performed his duties throughout the action in which the attempts of three rebel steamers to butt and board were repelled, and the ships driven off or forced to surrender. Eleven gunboats were successfully engaged and garrisons captured during this battle in which the Cayuga sustained 46 hits.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- 1829Born in New York, New York
- April 24 - 25, 1862Act of valor — Forts Jackson & St. Philip and New Orleans, LouisianaAge about 33. U.S.S. Cayuga
- February 17, 1901Died in New York, New YorkAge about 72.
- Resting placeMaple Grove CemeteryKew Gardens, New York
Biography
Edward Wright (c. 1829 – February 17, 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 Forts Jackson and St. Philip. Born in about 1829 in New York City, Wright was still living in the state of New York when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a quartermaster on the USS Cayuga. At the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip near New Orleans on April 24, 1862, he "conscientiously performed his duties throughout the action". For his part in the battle, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later on April 3, 1863.
From the Wikipedia article “Edward Wright (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
