Henry Johnson (born 1824, date of death unknown) 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 1824 in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, Johnson immigrated to the United States and was living in New York when he joined the Navy in 1857. He served during the Civil War as a

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

on the . At the

on August 5, 1864, he was among the crew of a small boat sent from ''Metacomet'' to rescue survivors of the , which had been sunk by a

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

(then known as a "torpedo"). Despite intense fire, the boat crew was able to pull ten ''Tecumseh'' men from the water. For this action, Johnson was awarded the Medal of Honor three years later, on February 23, 1867. Five other members of the boat crew also received the medal: Seaman

James Avery James La Rue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Philip Banks in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Shredder in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', Judge Michael Conover on ''L. ...

, Quarter Gunner Charles Baker, Ordinary Seaman John C. Donnelly, Captain of the Forecastle John Harris, and Landsman Daniel Noble. Johnson's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

As seaman on board the U.S.S. ''Metacomet'', Johnson served as a member of the boat's crew which went to the rescue of the U.S. Monitor ''Tecumseh'' when that vessel was struck by a torpedo in passing the enemy forts in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. He braved the enemy fire which was said by the admiral David Farragut ">David_Farragut.html" ;"title="David Farragut">David Farragut to be "one of the most galling" he had ever seen, and aided in rescuing from death 10 of the crew of the ''Tecumseh'', thereby eliciting the admiration of both friend and foe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Henry 1824 births Year of death unknown Norwegian 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 Norwegian-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor