Coxswain William Shipman, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on January 15, 1865 at Fort Fisher, North Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Ticonderoga. Shipman was about 34 years old.
30 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Shipman was born in 1831 in New York, New York. Shipman died on April 17, 1894, at the age of about 63. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania.
Shipman is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the U.S.S. Ticonderoga in the attack upon Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. As captain of No. 2 gun, stationed near the 100-pound Parrott rifle when it burst into fragments, killing eight men and wounding 12 more, Shipman promptly recognized the effect produced by the explosion and, despite the carnage surrounding them and the enemy's fire, encouraged the men at their guns by exclaiming, "Go ahead, boys! This is only the fortunes of war!"
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- 1831Born in New York, New York
- January 15, 1865Act of valor — Fort Fisher, North CarolinaAge about 34. U.S.S. Ticonderoga
- April 17, 1894DiedAge about 63.
- Resting placeHoly Cross CemeteryYeadon, Pennsylvania
Biography
William Shipman (c. 1831 – April 17, 1894) was a sailor in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.
From the Wikipedia article “William Shipman (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
