Seaman Nicholas Irwin, 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. Brooklyn. Irwin was about 31 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Irwin was born in 1833 in Denmark — one of 11 recipients born in Denmark. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. Irwin died on April 19, 1896 in Marion, Indiana, at the age of about 63. He is buried at Marion National Cemetery in Marion, Indiana.
Irwin 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. Brooklyn during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee, in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite severe damage to his ship and loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks from stem to stern, Irwin fought his gun with skill and courage throughout the furious battle which resulted in the surrender of the prize rebel 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 New York →
Timeline
- 1833Born in Denmark
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge about 31. U.S.S. Brooklyn
- April 19, 1896Died in Marion, IndianaAge about 63.
- Resting placeMarion National CemeteryMarion, Indiana
Biography
Nicholas Irwin (c. 1833 – April 19, 1896) 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 about 1833 in Denmark, Irwin 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 seaman on the USS Brooklyn. At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he "fought his gun with skill and courage" despite heavy fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later, on December 31, 1864. Irwin's official Medal of Honor citation reads: On board the U.S.S.
From the Wikipedia article “Nicholas Irwin”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
