Horatio Nelson Young (July 19, 1845 – July 3, 1913) was a United States Navy sailor who received 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 on the USS ''Lehigh'' during 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 ...

Biography

Young was born in

Calais, Maine Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,079, making Calais the third least-populous city in Maine (after Hallowell and Eastport). The city has three Canada–US border cro ...

, a small

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...

border town. As a young man he lived in a place where crossing the bridge over the St. Croix River to

St. Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

for employment, shopping, hospitalization, or just visiting friends, was an almost daily part of life. Following the outbreak of the

, Young traveled to Boston, Massachusetts where he joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. On November 16, 1863, the 18-year-old was serving aboard the when the ship ran aground in

Charleston Harbor The Charleston Harbor is an inlet (8 sq mi/20.7 km²) of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley and Cooper rivers at . Morris and Sullivan's Islands shelter the entrance. Charleston H ...

. In rough waters and under heavy enemy fire, Young and two other sailors, Landsman Frank S. Gile and Landsman William Williams, succeeded in passing in a small boat from their ship to the with a line wrapped on a

hawser Hawser () is a nautical term for a thick cable or rope used in mooring or towing a ship. A hawser passes through a hawsehole, also known as a cat hole, located on the hawse.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, third edition, ...

that would enable the ''Lehigh'' to be freed from her position. For this action, Young, Gile, and Williams each received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration. Young died in 1913 and was interred in the St. Stephen Rural Cemetery, in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, surrounded by other Canadian and American war dead.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: July 19, 1845, Calais, Maine. G.O. No.: 32, April 16, 1864. Citation:

On board the U.S.S. Lehigh, Charleston Harbor, 16 November 1863, during the hazardous task of freeing the Lehigh, which had grounded, and was under heavy enemy fire from Fort Moultrie. After several previous attempts had been made, Young succeeded in passing in a small boat from the Lehigh to the Nahant with a line bent on a hawser. This courageous action while under severe enemy fire enabled the Lehigh to be freed from her helpless position.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Horatio Nelson 1845 births 1913 deaths Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy sailors People of Maine in the American Civil War People from Calais, Maine American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References