James R. Garrison (June 22, 1838 – April 19, 1908) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Born on June 22, 1838, in Poughkeepsie, New York, Garrison was still living in that state when he joined the Navy on December 17, 1861. He served during the Civil War as a coal heaver on Admiral David Farragut's flagship, the . At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he lost a toe to Confederate fire but continued his duties at the shell whip (a device used to lift ammunition up to the gun deck) until receiving a second, severe, wound. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later, on December 31, 1864. Garrison's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the flagship, U.S.S. ''Hartford'', during successful engagements against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats and the ram '' Tennessee'' in Mobile Bay, on 5 August 1864. When a shell struck his foot and severed one of his toes, Garrison remained at his station at the shell whip and, after crudely bandaging the wound, continued to perform his duties until severely wounded by another shellburst.

Garrison was discharged from the Navy on November 11, 1864 in Philadelphia on account of disability due to his wounds in combat. After discharge he was employed as a laborer. In 1899 Garrison was admitted to the Southern Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in

Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...

.https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1200/images/MIUSA1866_113948-00398?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=6776240806a66c69025d9dc3687ad332&usePUB=true&_phsrc=vt7-723023&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.240115904.272825106.1620246710-315824149.1580145317&pId=302414 Garrison died on April 19, 1908, at age 69 and was buried at

Hampton National Cemetery Hampton National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of Hampton, Virginia. It encompasses , and as of 2014, had over 30,000 interments. There are two separate parts to this facility. The original cemetery is called the "Ham ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garrison, James R. 1838 births 1908 deaths People from Poughkeepsie, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor