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Master-at-Arms · U.S. Navy

James Seanor

Master-at-Arms James Seanor, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on August 5, 1864 at Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War.

Master-at-Arms James Seanor, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on August 5, 1864 at Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S. Ironclad Chickasaw. Seanor was about 31 years old.

97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.

Seanor was born in 1833 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. His medal is held by Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC.

Seanor 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

Served as master-at-arms on board the U.S. Ironclad Chickasaw, Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Although his enlistment was up, Seanor volunteered for the battle of Mobile Bay, going on board the Chickasaw from the Vincennes where he carried out his duties gallantly throughout the engagement which resulted in the capture of the rebel ram Tennessee.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Boston — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. 1833
    Born in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
  2. August 5, 1864
    Act of valor — Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama
    Age about 31. U.S. Ironclad Chickasaw

Biography

James Seanor (born c. 1833, date of death unknown) was a Master-at-Arms in the Union Navy who served during 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 about 1833 in Boston, Massachusetts, Seanor was living in New York when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a master-at-arms on the USS Vincennes. Although their enlistments had expired, Seanor and crewmate Andrew Jones voluntarily transferred to the USS Chickasaw to fight in the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, during which they "carried out [their] duties gallantly".

From the Wikipedia article “James Seanor”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on August 5, 1864

See all 98 recipients for August 5, 1864 →

More Civil War recipients from New York

Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.