John H. Ferrell (April 15, 1829 – April 17, 1900) was a civilian employee of the Union Navy 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 ...

and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, 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. ...

. He is one of only eight civilians ever to receive the U.S.

. Born on April 15, 1829, in

Bedford County, Tennessee Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,237. Its county seat is Shelbyville. Bedford County comprises the Shelbyville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also inc ...

, Ferrell was living in Illinois when he was hired by the Navy as a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

. By December 6, 1864, he was serving in the

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

aboard the . On that day, during an engagement with Confederates at Bells Mills near

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, he and Quartermaster John Ditzenback braved heavy fire to re-raise ''Neoshos flag after it was shot down. For this action, both he and Ditzenbach were awarded the Medal of Honor six months later, on June 22, 1865. Ferrell's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Mr. John H. Ferrell, a United States Civilian, for extraordinary heroism in action on board the U.S. Monitor '' NEOSHO'' during the engagement with enemy batteries at Bells Mills, Cumberland River, near Nashville, Tennessee, 6 December 1864. Carrying out his duties courageously during the engagement, Civilian Pilot John Ferrell gallantly left the pilothouse after the flag and signal staffs of that vessel had been shot away and, taking the flag which was drooping over the wheelhouse, make it fast to the stump of the highest mast remaining although the ship was still under a heavy fire from the enemy.

Ferrell died April 17, 1900, at age 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrell, John H. 1829 births 1900 deaths People from Bedford County, Tennessee People of Tennessee in the American Civil War Union Navy Civilian recipients of the Medal of Honor American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

See also

References