James Martin II (1826 – October 29, 1895) was a native of

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 ...

who served in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through comb ...

during the mid-19th century. Rising up through the ranks from private to sergeant while fighting for the federal government of the

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 ...

(

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

) 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 ...

, he displayed conspicuous bravery on August 5, 1864, while serving aboard the . Operating one of that ship's guns under heavy enemy fire for two hours during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama, he helped to damage the and destroy artillery batteries of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

at Fort Morgan, even as the enemy's shell and shot damaged his ship and killed several of his shipmates. In recognition of his gallantry, he was presented with 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. ...

, the United States' highest award for valor, on December 31, 1864.

Formative years

Martin was born in 1826 in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

in the

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...

. He emigrated sometime before July 1847 when he enrolled for military service in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 ...

. On April 18, 1860, he became a naturalized American citizen by action of the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.

Military service

At the age of 21, James Martin enlisted for military service with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. After enrolling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 9, 1847, he was designated as a private and assigned to land duties there prior to transfer to the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. (July 14) and Roanoke, Virginia (August 10). Assigned to a

Marine Detachment A Marine Detachment, or MarDet, was a unit of 35 to 85 United States Marines aboard large warships including cruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers. They were a regular component of a ship's company from the formation of the United States Ma ...

aboard the beginning on August 30, he remained with that ship until transferred to the Marine barracks in Brooklyn, New York on December 14, 1850. Reassigned to the on January 23, 1851, he re-enlisted on May 9 of that year, and served aboard the ''North Carolina'' (or the ) before transferring to the on August 4, 1851. Reassigned to duties at the Philadelphia Naval Barracks on October 30, 1852, he then continued to serve on land in Washington, D.C. and Norfolk, Virginia until assigned to the USS ''Mississippi'' on November 22 of that year. Reassigned to land duties at the Brooklyn Naval Barracks on April 26, 1855, he re-enlisted for another tour of duty on May 9, and was transferred briefly to Roanoke before being reassigned to the (July 3), where he remained until transferred to the on August 18, 1856. Stationed aboard ship until November of that year, he then moved back and forth between the naval barracks in Brooklyn and Washington, D.C., until reassigned to the on April 2, 1857. Assigned to land duties at the Brooklyn Naval Barracks again beginning December 2 of that year, he was then reassigned to the from June 11 to August 6, 1858, when he was stationed at the Boston Naval Barracks prior to reassignment on the USS ''North Carolina'' through May 10, 1959. Re-enlisting again the next day, he was transferred briefly to the Boston Naval Barracks, and was then stationed on the USS ''Constellation'' from June 13 of that year through most of the first year of the

Assigned briefly to land duties at the naval barracks in Portsmouth and Brooklyn, he was then reassigned to the on January 31, 1862, where he continued to serve until transferred to the on May 18, 1863. Returned to land duties in August of that year, he re-enlisted again and was promoted to the rank of sergeant on August 26, 1863, and returned to the USS ''Richmond''. Engaged with other Union soldiers and sailors in attacks on Fort St. Philip, Fort Jackson and the Chalmette batteries in Louisiana under the command of Admiral David Farragut from April 16 to 28, 1862, Martin was also present for the resulting surrender of New Orleans to Union forces, as well as the attack on Vicksburg, Mississippi in late June and early July that same year. Still attached to Farragut's squadron in 1864, which had been engaged in a blockade of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

since November 1, 1863, and serving as a sergeant stationed aboard the USS ''Richmond'', he performed the actions for which he would later be awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor. As captain of a gun during the Battle of Mobile Bay on the morning of August 5, 1864, he displayed "coolness and good conduct" as he continued firing for two hours, helping to damage the and destroy the batteries at Fort Morgan while under heavy enemy fire which damaged his ship and killed several of his fellow crewmen. Afterward, he and his ''Richmond'' shipmates continued to occupy Mobile Bay. In May 1865, he transferred to the , served briefly on land at the marine barracks in Pensacola, Florida, beginning July 12, and was then reassigned to the on December 26, 1865.

Post-war military service and later life

Post-war, Martin continued to serve aboard the USS ''Memphis'' until reassigned to land duties from February 3 to April 3, 1866. After being transferred to the , he continued to alternate between life aboard ship and on land, punctuated by re-enlistments, for the remainder of his military career. Duty assignments included: the , beginning June 27, 1866; the , beginning March 14, 1868; and the in 1871. After having achieved the rank of quartermaster sergeant and having completed 31 years, 7 months and 23 days of military service, he was honorably discharged on March 27, 1879. Military records at the time of his pension application in 1881 described him as being 5' 9-1/2" tall with brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion, and also noted that he was a native of Ireland who had been a farmer at the time of his enrollment in Philadelphia. Records from the U.S. Navy Department's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, which were compiled for Martin's Navy Survivors' Certificate file, documented that Martin sustained multiple service-related injuries and ailments during his naval career, including:

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

(first documented in the late 1840s); a subluxation of his left ankle (1858); hip pain and rheumatism (1861); a contusion sustained on April 12, 1862, when his "arm was squeezed in working a gun, whilst at quarters", which resulted in a nine-day admission to a U.S. Navy Hospital that year and was linked by a Navy doctor in 1879 to the

atrophy Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include mutations (which can destroy the gene to build up the organ), poor nourishment, poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, loss of nerve supply t ...

of his bicep (via the notation "the result of an injury to the arm while loading a gun on board the 'Richmond', in April, 1862"); a sprained ankle (1874); a severe fall down the stairs while in the line of duty at a naval barracks (1875); and

anemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...

attributed to his "long and continuous service in the Marine Corps" (1879). Unmarried, Martin resided at the U.S. Naval Home in Philadelphia during the 1880s and 1890s.

Illness, death and interment

By the time he was in his 60s, Martin had developed cancer. Following his death at the U.S. Naval Home in

, on October 29, 1895, he was buried in that city's Mount Moriah Cemetery.Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery
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Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 1826, Derry, Ireland. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation:

As captain of a gun on board the ''USS Richmond'' during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram ''Tennessee'' in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks, Sgt. Martin fought his gun with skill and courage throughout the furious 2-hour battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram ''Tennessee'' and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, James II 1826 births 1895 deaths 19th-century Irish people Military personnel from Derry (city) People from County Londonderry United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients United States Marines Union Marines People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Irish emigrants to the United States Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Burials at Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia)