Edward or Edwin S. Martin (1840 – December 23, 1901) 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 at the

Battle of Mobile Bay The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...

. Born in 1840 in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, Martin immigrated to the United States and was living in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the Civil War as a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

on the . At the

on August 5, 1864, he "performed his duties with skill and courage" as his ship assisted the disabled while under heavy fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later on June 22, 1865. Martin's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. ''Galena'' during the attack on enemy forts at Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Securely lashed to the side of the ''Oneida'' which had suffered the loss of her steering apparatus and an explosion of her boiler from enemy fire, the ''Galena'' aided the stricken vessel past the enemy forts to safety. Despite heavy damage to his ship from raking enemy fire, Martin performed his duties with skill and courage throughout the action.

Martin died on December 23, 1901, at age 60 or 61 and was buried at

Cypress Hills National Cemetery Cypress Hills National Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is the only United States National Cemetery in New York City and has more than 21,100 interments of veterans and civilians. ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Edward S. 1840 births 1901 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor