Landsman Frank S. Gile, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on November 16, 1863 at Charleston Harbor, South Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Lehigh. Gile was 16 years old.
7 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Gile was born on September 15, 1847 in Massachusetts. Gile died on March 19, 1898 in South Andover, Massachusetts, at the age of 50. He is buried at Ridgewood Cemetery in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Gile 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
On board the U.S.S. Lehigh, Charleston Harbor 16 November 1863 during the hazardous task of freeing the Lehigh, which had been grounded and was under heavy enemy fire from Fort Moultrie. After several previous attempts had been made, Gile succeeded in passing in a small boat from the Lehigh to the Nahant with a line bent on a hawser. This courageous action while under severe enemy fire enabled the Lehigh to be freed from her helpless position.
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
- September 15, 1847Born in Massachusetts
- November 16, 1863Act of valor — Charleston Harbor, South CarolinaAge 16. U.S.S. Lehigh
- March 19, 1898Died in South Andover, MassachusettsAge 50.
- Resting placeRidgewood CemeteryNorth Andover, Massachusetts
Biography
Frank S. Gile (September 15, 1847 – March 19, 1898) 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 helping to free his grounded ship. Born on September 15, 1847, in Massachusetts, Gile was living in North Andover when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a landsman on the USS Lehigh. On November 16, 1863, Lehigh was in Charleston Harbor providing support for Union troops on shore when the ship ran aground on a sand bar and came under heavy fire from Fort Moultrie.
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