Captain of the Forecastle Henry Shutes was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on February 27, 1863 at New Orleans & Fort McAllister, Louisiana & Georgia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Wissahickon. Shutes was about 59 years old.
Shutes was born in 1804 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Maryland. Shutes died on September 10, 1889 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of about 85. He is buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Shutes is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 85 credited to Maryland.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Served as captain of the forecastle on board the U.S.S. Wissahickon during the battle of New Orleans, 24 and 25 April 1862; and in the engagement at Fort McAllister, 27 February 1863. Going on board the U.S.S. Wissahickon from the U.S.S. Don, where his seamanlike qualities as gunner's mate were outstanding, Shutes performed his duties with skill and courage. Showing a presence of mind and prompt action when a shot from Fort McAllister penetrated the Wissahickon below the water line and entered the powder magazine, Shutes contributed materially to the preservation of the powder and safety of the ship.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Maryland →
Timeline
- 1804Born in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland
- February 27, 1863Act of valor — New Orleans & Fort McAllister, Louisiana & GeorgiaAge about 59. U.S.S. Wissahickon
- September 10, 1889Died in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAge about 85.
- Resting placeMount Moriah CemeteryPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Biography
Henry Shutes (c. 1804 – September 10, 1889) 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 and an 1863 engagement with Fort McAllister, Georgia. Born in about 1804 in Baltimore, Maryland, Shutes was still living in that city when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a gunner's mate on the USS Don and later as a captain of the forecastle on the USS Wissahickon. Aboard Wissahickon, he "performed his duties with skill and courage" at the Battle of Forts Jackson and St.
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