John Gordon Morrison (13 July 1838 – 9 June 1897) served 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 ...

, receiving 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. ...

in 1862.

Biography

Morrison was born in

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 ...

and came to the United States in 1855. Enlisting in the 30th New York Infantry at

Lansingburgh, New York Lansingburgh was a village in the north end of Troy. It was first laid out in lots and incorporated in 1771 by Abraham Jacob Lansing, who had purchased the land in 1763. In 1900, Lansingburgh became part of the City of Troy. Demographics Lansi ...

, 24 April 1861, he volunteered for service on gunboat on 15 February 1862. He was appointed coxswain. He later received the

for exceptional bravery during an engagement on 15 July 1862, with

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

ram in the

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...

. He was an inspiring example to the crew during ''Carondelets unsuccessful attempt to halt the ironclad ram's progress through the Union blockade to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. . Coxswain Morrison was discharged from the Navy on 31 March 1863. In September 1864, he enlisted at Troy, New York in the 21st New York Cavalry Regiment, mustered in as a private, and mustered out in May 1865 at Bladensburg, Maryland.21st New York Cavalry Roster
/ref>

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization: Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Entered service at: Lansingburgh, N.Y. Born: 3 November 1842, Ireland G.O. No.: 59, 22 June 1865. Citation:

Serving as coxswain on board the USS ''Carondelet'', Morrison was commended for meritorious conduct in general and especially for his heroic conduct and his inspiring example to the crew in the engagement with the rebel ram ''Arkansas,'' Yazoo River, 15 July 1862. When the ''Carondelet'' was badly cut up, several of her crew killed, many wounded and others almost suffocated from the effects of escaped steam, Morrison was the leader when boarders were called on deck, and the first to return to the guns and give the ram a broadside as she passed. His presence of mind in time of battle or trial is reported as always conspicuous and encouraging.

Later life

Morrison died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on 9 June 1897. He is buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery,

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. His grave can be found in section 9, lot 359.

Namesake

In 1943, the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

was named in his honor.

Notes

References

: * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, John G. Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients 1838 births 1897 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish sailors in the United States Navy Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy sailors Irish emigrants to the United States People of New York (state) in the American Civil War American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor American people in whaling Australian people in whaling