Captain of the Top John Edwards, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on August 5, 1864 at Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Lackawanna. Edwards was about 33 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Edwards was born in 1831 in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island. His Medal of Honor is credited to Rhode Island. Edwards died on December 27, 1902, at the age of about 71. He is buried at Pocasset Cemetery in Cranston, Rhode Island.
Edwards is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 31 credited to Rhode Island.
Official Medal of Honor citation
As second captain of a gun on board the U.S.S. Lackawanna during successful attacks against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats and the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Wounded when an enemy shell struck, Edwards refused to go below for aid and, as heavy return fire continued to strike his vessel, took the place of the first captain and carried out his duties during the prolonged action which resulted in the capture of the prize ram Tennessee and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Rhode Island →
Timeline
- 1831Born in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge about 33. U.S.S. Lackawanna
- December 27, 1902DiedAge about 71.
- Resting placePocasset CemeteryCranston, Rhode Island
Biography
John Edwards (c. 1831 – December 27, 1902) 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.
From the Wikipedia article “John Edwards (American Civil War sailor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
