Coal Heaver James R. Garrison was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 5, 1864 at Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Hartford. Garrison was 26 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Garrison was born on June 22, 1838 in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. Garrison died on April 19, 1908 in Hampton, Virginia, at the age of 69. He is buried at Hampton National Cemetery in Hampton, Virginia.
Garrison 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 flagship, U.S.S. Hartford, during successful engagements against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats, the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. When a shell struck his foot and severed one of his toes, Garrison remained at his station at the shell whip and, after crudely bandaging the wound, continued to perform his duties until severely wounded by another shell burst.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and injuries
What the citation records about his wounds:
When a shell struck his foot and severed one of his toes, Garrison remained at his station at the shell whip and, after crudely bandaging the wound, continued to perform his duties until severely wounded by another shell burst.
- Age at death: 69
- Resting place: Hampton National Cemetery
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- June 22, 1838Born in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge 26. U.S.S. Hartford
- April 19, 1908Died in Hampton, VirginiaAge 69.
- Resting placeHampton National CemeteryHampton, Virginia
Biography
James R. Garrison (June 22, 1838 – April 19, 1908) 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 on June 22, 1838, in Poughkeepsie, New York, Garrison was still living in that state when he joined the Navy on December 17, 1861. He served during the Civil War as a coal heaver on Admiral David Farragut's flagship, the USS Hartford. At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he lost a toe to Confederate fire but continued his duties at the shell whip (a device used to lift ammunition up to the gun deck) until receiving a second, severe, wound.
From the Wikipedia article “James R. Garrison”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
