James Avery (c. 1825 – October 11, 1898) was an

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 ...

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

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. ...

while serving aboard .

Biography

Born in 1825 in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, Avery was living in New York when he joined the Navy. 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 . 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 ...

on August 5, 1864, he was among the crew of a small boat sent from ''Metacomet'' to rescue survivors of , 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, Avery was awarded the Medal of Honor a year and a half later, on January 15, 1866. Five other members of the ''Metacomet'' boat crew also received the medal: Quarter Gunner Charles Baker, Ordinary Seaman John C. Donnelly, Captain of the Forecastle John Harris, Seaman Henry Johnson, and Landsman Daniel Noble. Many years after the war Avery was serving as a berth-deck cook and it was discovered by the captain that he had won a medal of honor. When asked about the medal he said: "That can tell you more about it than I can. I did like the rest of the men that day, and I never expected anything more than my pay and rations. We tried to do our duty, and when we saw the men in the other ship being shot down and some drowning, we could only try to help them. God knows it was hard to see them being murdered without much chance for escape" This incident was reported in the New York Times on January 16, 1898. Avery later served in one of the bureaus of the Navy Department. He died on October 11, 1898.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1825, Scotland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 71, January 15, 1866. Citation:

Served on board the U.S.S. ''Metacomet''. 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, S/man Avery braved the enemy fire which was said by the admiral
David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. Fa ...
to be "one of the most galling" he had ever seen, and aided in rescuing from death 10 of the crew of the ''Tecumseh'', eliciting the admiration of both friend and foe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, James 1820s births 1898 deaths 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

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References