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Coxswain · U.S. Navy

Thomas Kendrick

Coxswain Thomas Kendrick, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on August 5, 1864 at Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War August 5, 1864

Coxswain Thomas Kendrick, 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. Oneida. Kendrick was about 25 years old.

97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.

Kendrick was born in 1839 in Bath, Sagadahoc County, Maine. His Medal of Honor is credited to Maine. His medal is held by Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC.

Kendrick is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 66 credited to Maine.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Served as coxswain on board the U.S.S. Oneida in the engagement at Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Volunteering for the Mobile Bay action from Bienville, Kendrick displayed courageous devotion to duty, and his excellent conduct throughout the battle which resulted in the capture of the rebel ram Tennessee and in the damaging of Fort Morgan, attracted the attention of the commanding officer and those serving around him.

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: Bath — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Maine →

Timeline

  1. 1839
    Born in Bath, Sagadahoc County, Maine
  2. August 5, 1864
    Act of valor — Mobile Bay, Alabama
    Age about 25. U.S.S. Oneida

Biography

Thomas Kendrick (born 1839, date of death unknown) 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 1839 in Bath, Maine, Kendrick was still living in that city when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a coxswain on the USS Bienville. He volunteered to join the USS Oneida for the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, during which he showed "courageous devotion to duty". For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later, on December 31, 1864.

From the Wikipedia article “Thomas Kendrick (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on August 5, 1864

TA Thomas E. Atkinson Yeoman · Navy Civil War · 1864 JA James Avery Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 CB Charles Baker Quarter Gunner · Navy Civil War · 1864 WB William Blagheen Ship's Cook · Navy Civil War · 1864 JB John Brazell Quartermaster · Navy Civil War · 1864 JB John Brown Captain of the Forecastle · Navy Civil War · 1864 RB Robert Brown Captain of the Top · Navy Civil War · 1864 WB William H. Brown Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1864 WB Wilson Brown Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1864 JB John M. Burns Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 WC William M. Carr Master-at-Arms · Navy Civil War · 1864 MC Michael Cassidy Landsman · Navy Civil War · 1864

See all 98 recipients for August 5, 1864 →

More Civil War recipients from Maine

FH Frank W. Haskell Sergeant Major · Army Civil War · 1862 AW Anthony Williams Sailmaker's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1864 AH Asbury F. Haynes Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 ET Edward Parsons Tobie Jr. Sergeant Major · Army Civil War · 1865 WF William Farley Boatswain's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1863 Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Colonel · Army Civil War · 1863
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.