Shell Man William A. Stanley, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on August 5, 1864 at Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Hartford. Stanley was about 33 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Stanley was born in 1831 in Massachusetts. Records also list him as Stanley, William E..
Stanley is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Shell man on No. 8 on board the U.S.S. Hartford during successful actions against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats, and the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Although severely wounded when his ship sustained numerous hits under the enemy's terrific shellfire, Stanley continued to pass shell until forced by the loss of blood to go below.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and injuries
What the citation records about his wounds:
Although severely wounded when his ship sustained numerous hits under the enemy's terrific shellfire, Stanley continued to pass shell until forced by the loss of blood to go below.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
- Born: Massachusetts — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →
Timeline
- 1831Born in Massachusetts
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge about 33. U.S.S. Hartford
Biography
William A. Stanley (born 1831, 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 1831 in Massachusetts, Stanley was still living in that state when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a shell man on Admiral David Farragut's flagship, the USS Hartford. At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he was severely wounded by a Confederate artillery shell but remained at his post manning the ship's number 8 gun until unable to continue due to blood loss.
From the Wikipedia article “William A. Stanley”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
