Captain of the Forecastle Thomas Harding was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 9, 1864 in Beaufort, North Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Dacotah. Harding was about 27 years old.
The medal was presented on December 31, 1864. He later rose to the rank of Acting Master's Mate.
Harding was born in 1837 in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut. His Medal of Honor is credited to Connecticut. Harding died on December 15, 1911 in Cheynne, Wyoming, at the age of about 74. He is buried at Greenhill Cemetery in Laramie, Wyoming. His medal is held by Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC.
Harding is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 57 credited to Connecticut.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Served as captain of the forecastle on board the U.S.S. Dacotah on the occasion of the destruction of the blockade runner Pevensey, near Beaufort, N.C., 9 June 1864. "Learning that one of the officers in the boat, which was in danger of being, and subsequently was, swamped, could not swim, Harding remarked to him: 'If we are swamped, sir, I shall carry you to the beach or I will never go there myself.' He did not succeed in carrying out his promise, but made desperate efforts to do so, while others thought only of themselves. Such conduct is worthy of appreciation and admiration a sailor risking his own life to save that of an officer."
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
- Born: Middletown — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Connecticut →
Timeline
- 1837Born in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut
- June 9, 1864Act of valor — Beaufort, North CarolinaAge about 27. U.S.S. Dacotah
- December 31, 1864Medal of Honor presented
- December 15, 1911Died in Cheynne, WyomingAge about 74.
- Resting placeGreenhill CemeteryLaramie, Wyoming
Biography
Thomas Harding (born 1837, 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, for attempting to save an officer from drowning. Harding was born in 1837 in Middletown, Connecticut. He served during the Civil War as a captain of the forecastle on the USS Dacotah. On June 9, 1864, the blockade runner Pevensey was chased down, run aground near Beaufort, North Carolina, and suffered a boiler explosion. Harding and others took a small boat from Dacotah to Pevensey and loaded it with some of the blockade runner's cargo of arms and uniforms.
From the Wikipedia article “Thomas Harding (sailor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
