Quartermaster Louis Richards was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions between April 24 and 25, 1862 in Forts Jackson & St. Philip and New Orleans, Louisiana during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Pensacola. Richards was about 27 years old.
18 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.
Richards was born in 1835 in New York, New York. Richards died on January 7, 1894 in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of about 59. He is buried at Evergreens Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Richards 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
Richards served as quartermaster on board the U.S.S. Pensacola in the attacks upon Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and at the taking of New Orleans, 24 and 25 April 1862. Through all the din and roar of battle, he steered the ship through the narrow opening of the barricade, and his attention to orders contributed to the successful passage of the ship without once fouling the shore or the obstacles of the barricade.
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
- 1835Born in New York, New York
- April 24 - 25, 1862Act of valor — Forts Jackson & St. Philip and New Orleans, LouisianaAge about 27. U.S.S. Pensacola
- January 7, 1894Died in Brooklyn, New YorkAge about 59.
- Resting placeEvergreens CemeteryBrooklyn, New York
Biography
Louis or Lewis Richards (c. 1835 – January 7, 1894) 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 Forts Jackson and St. Philip. Born in about 1835 in New York City, Richards was still living in the state of New York when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a quartermaster on the USS Pensacola. At the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip near New Orleans on April 24, 1862, he successfully steered his ship through obstacles placed in the Mississippi River by the Confederates. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later on April 3, 1863.
From the Wikipedia article “Louis Richards”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
