Charles Robinson (1840 – 21 April 1896) was a

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

sailor in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

, for his actions during an expedition on the

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...

. Born in 1840 in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, Scotland, Robinson moved to the United States and was living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

when he joined the U.S. Navy. During the Civil War, he served as a boatswain's mate on the . From 23 to 27 December 1862, he "distinguished himself in the various actions" as his ship took part in an expedition up the

in Mississippi. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor months later on 3 April 1863. Three of his shipmates, Ordinary Seaman

Peter Cotton Ordinary Seaman Peter Cotton (born 1839) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Cotton received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action aboard the ''USS Baron DeKalb US ...

, Captain of the Forecastle

Pierre Leon Pierre Leon (August 23, 1838 – December 7, 1915) was a Captain of the Forecastle in the Union Navy and a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the American Civil War. Early life and military service Leon was born in Nice on 23 Augus ...

, and Boatswain's Mate John McDonald, also received the medal for their part in the expedition. Robinson's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Serving on board the U.S.S. ''Baron de Kalb'', Yazoo River Expedition, 23 to 27 December 1862. Proceeding under orders up the Yazoo River, the U.S.S. ''Baron de Kalb'', with the object of capturing or destroying the enemy's transports, came upon the steamers ''John Walsh'', ''R. J. Locklan'', ''Golden Age'', and the ''Scotland'' sunk on a bar where they were ordered fired. Continuing up the river, she was fired on by the enemy, but upon returning the fire, caused the rebels to retreat. Returning down the Yazoo, she destroyed and captured large quantities of enemy equipment and several prisoners. Serving bravely throughout this action, Robinson, as boatswain's mate, "distinguished himself in the various actions."

After the war, Charles moved to the

Prospect, Nova Scotia Prospect is a Canadian coastal community on the Chebucto Peninsula in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Halifax Regional Municipality. It borders the Atlantic Ocean approximately southwest of Halifax off the Prospect Road ( Route 333). During ...

and married Norah and later set up home in Halifax. Robinson had a career as a policeman and storekeeper. Robinson died on 21 April 1896, at age 55 or 56 and was buried in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

, Canada.

Also see

Military history of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia (also known as Mi'kma'ki and Acadia) is a Canadian province located in Canada's Maritimes. The region was initially occupied by Mi'kmaq. The colonial history of Nova Scotia includes the present-day Canadian Maritime provinces and th ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Charles 1840 births 1896 deaths Military personnel from Dundee Scottish emigrants to the United States People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Scottish-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor