Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Landsman Louis G. Chaput 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. Lackawanna. Chaput was about 19 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Chaput was born in 1845 in Canada — one of 60 recipients born in Canada. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. Chaput died on April 17, 1916 in Montreal, Canada, at the age of about 71. He is buried at Cimetiere Notre Dame-des-Neiges in Montreal, Canada.
Chaput 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 U.S.S. Lackawanna during the successful attacks against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats, and the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, on 5 August 1864. Severely wounded, Chaput remained at his gun until relieved, reported to the surgeon, and returned to his gun until the action was over. He was then carried below following the action, which resulted in the capture of the prize ram Tennessee and in the 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 New York →
Timeline
- 1845Born in Canada
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge about 19. U.S.S. Lackawanna
- April 17, 1916Died in Montreal, CanadaAge about 71.
- Resting placeCimetiere Notre Dame-des-NeigesMontreal
Biography
Louis G. Chaput (August 23, 1847 — April 17, 1916) 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 in 1847 in Montreal, Chaput immigrated to the United States and was living in New York when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the Civil War as a landsman on the USS Lackawanna. At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, Lackawanna engaged the CSS Tennessee at close range and Chaput was severely wounded in the face and limbs by flying debris while manning an artillery gun.
From the Wikipedia article “Louis G. Chaput”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
