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Seaman · U.S. Navy

William Morse

Seaman William Morse, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on September 19, 1880 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Interim 1871–1899).

Seaman William Morse, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on September 19, 1880 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1871 - 1899 period. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Shenandoah. Morse was about 28 years old.

One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.

Morse was born in 1852 in Germany — one of 130 recipients born in Germany. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York.

Official Medal of Honor citation

For jumping overboard from the U.S.S. Shenandoah at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 19 September 1880, and rescuing from drowning James Grady, first class fireman.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Places

  • Born: Germany — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. 1852
    Born in Germany
  2. September 19, 1880
    Act of valor — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Age about 28. U.S.S. Shenandoah

Biography

William Morse (born May 1852, date of death unknown) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

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

Also honored for actions on September 19, 1880

Same unit

More Interim 1871–1899 recipients from New York

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.