Seaman Peter Williams, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on March 9, 1862 in Hampton Roads, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S. Ironclad Steamer Monitor. Williams was about 31 years old.
The medal was presented on August 10, 1863. He later rose to the rank of Quartermaster.
Williams was born in 1831 in Norway — one of 22 recipients born in Norway. His Medal of Honor is credited to Pennsylvania.
Williams is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Served on board the U.S. Ironclad Steamer Monitor, at Hampton Roads, 9 March 1862. During the engagement between the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Merrimack, Williams gallantly served throughout the engagement as quartermaster, piloting the Monitor throughout the battle in which the Merrimack, after being damaged, retired from the scene of the battle.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
- Born: Norway — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →
Timeline
- 1831Born in Norway
- March 9, 1862Act of valor — Hampton Roads, VirginiaAge about 31. U.S. Ironclad Steamer Monitor
- August 10, 1863Medal of Honor presented
Biography
Peter Williams (born c. 1831, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He earned the award for steering USS Monitor throughout the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first combat between ironclad warships in history.
From the Wikipedia article “Peter Williams (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
