Veteran in crisis? Dial 988 then press 1 · Text 838255 Next observance: Navy Birthday · October 13
Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Coxswain · U.S. Navy

Maurice Wagg

Coxswain Maurice Wagg, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on December 31, 1862 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War December 31, 1862Born in England

Coxswain Maurice Wagg was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on December 31, 1862 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Rhode Island. Wagg was 22 years old.

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

Wagg was born on July 23, 1840 in England — one of 98 recipients born in England. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. Wagg died on June 22, 1926 in London, England, at the age of 85. He is buried at East London Cemetery in London, England.

Wagg is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.

★ Rescue & Lifesaving

Official Medal of Honor citation

Served on board the U.S.S. Rhode Island, which was engaged in saving the lives of the officers and crew of the Monitor off Hatteras, 31 December 1862. Participating in the hazardous task of rescuing the officers and crew of the sinking Monitor, Wagg distinguished himself by meritorious conduct during this operation.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Life beyond the battlefield

  • Occupations: coxswain

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: London — map
  • Died: New York City — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. July 23, 1840
    Born in England
  2. December 31, 1862
    Act of valor — off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
    Age 22. U.S.S. Rhode Island
  3. June 22, 1926
    Died in London, England
    Age 85.
  4. Resting place
    East London Cemetery
    London

Biography

Maurice Wagg (23 July 1840 – 22 June 1926) was a British-born veteran of the American Civil War and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. Wagg was born in Christchurch in England in 1840, the second of nine children of Georgina and George Wagg, a tailor. As a young man Maurice Wagg took to a life at sea. In 1861 on the outbreak of the Civil War he was in New York where he enlisted in the Union Navy, serving as coxswain on the U.S.S. Rhode Island.

From the Wikipedia article “Maurice Wagg”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

Also honored for actions on December 31, 1862

John Mcgreath Farquhar Sergeant Major · Army Civil War · 1862 Joseph Leonard Follett Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 Henry Blanchard Freeman First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 Frederick Phisterer First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 JP Joseph Rollin Prentice Private · Army Civil War · 1862 WV Wilson J. Vance Private · Army Civil War · 1862 JW John Milton Whitehead Chaplain · Army Civil War · 1862

Same unit

CF Charles H. Foy Signal Quartermaster · Navy Civil War · 1865 LG Luke M. Griswold Ordinary Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1862 Lewis Augustine Horton Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1862 JJ John Jones Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1862 HL Hugh Logan Captain of the Afterguard · Navy Civil War · 1862 GM George Moore Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1862 CS Charles H. Smith Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1862 WS William Bradford Stacy Seaman · Navy Interim 1865–1870 · 1866

More Civil War recipients from New York

HB Henry H. Bickford Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 ZN Zachariah C. Neahr Private · Army Civil War · 1865 WJ Walter Jamieson First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 Francis Edwin Brownell Private · Army Civil War · 1861 MR Myron H. Ranney Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Charles E. Morse Sergeant · 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.