Captain of the Top William Jones was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 5, 1864 at Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Richmond. Jones was about 33 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Jones was born in 1831 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. His Medal of Honor is credited to Pennsylvania. His medal is held by Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC.
Jones 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
As captain of a gun on board the U.S.S. Richmond during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks, Jones fought his gun with skill and courage throughout the prolonged battle, which resulted in the surrender of the 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
- Born: Philadelphia — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →
Timeline
- 1831Born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge about 33. U.S.S. Richmond
Biography
William Jones (born c. 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 about 1831 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jones was still living in that city when he joined the Navy in 1847. He served during the Civil War as a captain of the top and gun captain on the USS Richmond. 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.
From the Wikipedia article “William Jones (American sailor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
