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Ordinary Seaman · U.S. Navy

Louis Capet Shepard

Ordinary Seaman Louis Capet Shepard, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on January 15, 1865 at Fort Fisher, North Carolina during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War January 15, 1865

Ordinary Seaman Louis Capet Shepard, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on January 15, 1865 at Fort Fisher, North Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Wabash. Shepard was 23 years old.

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

Shepard was born on September 2, 1841 in Ashtabula, Ashtabula County, Ohio. His Medal of Honor is credited to Ohio. Shepard died on April 27, 1919 in Danbury, Ohio, at the age of 77. He is buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Port Clinton, Ohio. Records also list him as Shepard, Lewis C..

Shepard is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 256 credited to Ohio.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Served as seaman on board the U.S.S. Wabash in the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Advancing gallantly through severe enemy fire while armed only with a revolver and cutlass which made it impossible to return the fire at that range, Shepard succeeded in reaching the angle of the fort and in going on to be one of the few who entered the fort. When the rest of the body of men to his rear were forced to retreat under a devastating fire, he was forced to withdraw through lack of support and to seek the shelter of one of the mounds near the stockade from which point he succeeded in regaining the safety of his ship.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Ashtabula — map
  • Died: Danbury Township — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Ohio →

Timeline

  1. September 2, 1841
    Born in Ashtabula, Ashtabula County, Ohio
  2. January 15, 1865
    Act of valor — Fort Fisher, North Carolina
    Age 23. U.S.S. Wabash
  3. April 27, 1919
    Died in Danbury, Ohio
    Age 77.
  4. Resting place
    Lakeview Cemetery
    Port Clinton, Ohio

Biography

Lewis Capet Shepard (September 2, 1841 – April 27, 1919) was a Union Navy sailor during the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher. Due to a Navy clerical error his citation records his first name as Louis.

From the Wikipedia article “Louis C. Shepard”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on January 15, 1865

BA Bruce Anderson Private · Army Civil War · 1865 GB Gurdon H. Barter Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1865 DB David L. Bass Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865 PB Philip Bazaar Ordinary Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865 AB Albert Burton Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865 Alaric B. Chapin Private · Army Civil War · 1865 TC Thomas Connor Ordinary Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865 Newton Martin Curtis Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1865 William Henry Freeman Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JG John Griffiths Captain of the Forecastle · Navy Civil War · 1865 TH Thomas Harcourt Ordinary Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865 TK Thomas Kane Captain of the Hold · Navy Civil War · 1865

See all 31 recipients for January 15, 1865 →

Same unit

ER Edward Ringold Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1862

More Civil War recipients from Ohio

Charles H. McCleary First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 DH Daniel Irving Holcomb Private · Army Civil War · 1864 WB Wilson W. Brown Private · Army Civil War · 1862 JH Joseph Hanks Private · Army Civil War · 1863 JK Joseph Kimball Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JB John Brown First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863
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.