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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Seaman · U.S. Navy

James Stoddard

Seaman James Stoddard, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on March 5, 1864 off Yazoo City, Mississippi during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War March 5, 1864Born in Canada

Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Seaman James Stoddard received the Medal of Honor for his actions on March 5, 1864 off Yazoo City, Mississippi during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Marmora. Stoddard was about 26 years old.

2 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. He later rose to the rank of Acting Master's Mate.

Stoddard was born in 1838 in Port Robinson, Canada — one of 60 recipients born in Canada. His Medal of Honor is credited to North Carolina.

Stoddard is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 22 credited to North Carolina.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Off Yazoo City, Miss. 5 March 1864. Embarking from the Marmora with a 12-pound howitzer mounted on a field carriage, Stoddard landed with the gun and crew in the midst of heated battle and, bravely standing by his gun despite enemy rifle fire which cut the gun carriage and rammer, contributed to the turning back of the enemy during the fierce engagement.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Port Robinson — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in North Carolina →

Timeline

  1. 1838
    Born in Port Robinson, Canada
  2. March 5, 1864
    Act of valor — off Yazoo City, Mississippi
    Age about 26. U.S.S. Marmora

Biography

James Stoddard (born 1838, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during an engagement in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Born in 1838 in Port Robinson, Upper Canada (in present-day Ontario), Stoddard enlisted in the U.S. Navy on September 21, 1863, in Detroit. By March 5, 1864, he was serving as a seaman on the USS Marmora. On that day, he was among a group of sailors who went ashore with a howitzer to help repulse a Confederate attack on Yazoo City, Mississippi.

From the Wikipedia article “James Stoddard (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on March 5, 1864

WF William J. Franks Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 BL Bartlett Laffey Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from North Carolina

JS Joseph Henry Shea Private · Army Civil War · 1864
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.