John Lafferty or Laverty (1842 – November 13, 1903) was a sailor in the
U.S. Navy during the
American Civil War and is one of only 19 people in history to receive the
Medal of Honor twice.
Biography
According to his first Medal of Honor citation John Lafferty was born in June 1842 in New York City. According to the second, John Laverty was born in 1845 in
County Tyrone,
Ireland.
[Owens, Ronald J. ''Medal of Honor: Historical Facts & Figures'', Turner Publishing Company, 2004]
He is also recorded as having been born in Dublin, Ireland in 1849.
His first award was due to his service aboard the . He participated in a plan to destroy the rebel ram in the
Roanoke River, May 25, 1864. He was one of five ''Wyalusing'' crew members to be awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Civil War (the others being Coal Heaver
Charles Baldwin, Fireman
Alexander Crawford, Coal Heaver
Benjamin Lloyd, and Coxswain
John W. Lloyd).
He earned his second award while serving on board the , a wooden hulled sloop built in 1868, at
Callao Bay,
Peru, September 14, 1881. During his Civil War service he enlisted as John Lafferty, and his first Medal is recorded under this name. However, when he re-enlisted in the Navy, he used John Laverty, which appears to be his real name
[ and is used on his government-issue headstone.
Laverty died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 13, 1903, and buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his grave can be found in the Naval Asylum Plot.
]
Medal of Honor citation
;''1st Award''
Rank and organization: Fireman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1842, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 45, December 31, 1864.
Citation:
Served on board the U.S.S. ''Wyalusing'' and participated in a plan to destroy the rebel ram ''Albemarle'' in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Volunteering for the hazardous mission, Lafferty participated in the transfer of two torpedoes across an island swamp and then served as sentry to keep guard of clothes and arms left by other members of the party. After being rejoined by others of the party who had been discovered before the plan could be completed, Lafferty succeeded in returning to the mother ship after spending 24 hours of discomfort in the rain and swamp."John Lafferty", Congressional Medal of Honor Society
/ref>
;''2nd Award''
Rank and organization: First Class Fireman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1849, Ireland. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 326, October 18, 1884.
Citation:
Serving on board the U.S.S. ''Alaska'' at Callao Bay, Peru, September 14, 1881. Following the rupture of the stop-valve chamber on that vessel, Laverty hauled the fires from under the boiler.
See also
* List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: G–L
*List of Medal of Honor recipients in non-combat incidents
Prior to 1963, the Medal of Honor could be awarded for actions not involving direct combat with "an enemy of the United States" or "opposing foreign force (actions against a party in which the U.S. is not directly engaged in war with).DoD Awards ...
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafferty, John
1842 births
1903 deaths
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Military personnel from New York City
United States Navy sailors
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor
Double Recipients of the Medal of Honor
Burials at Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia)
People from County Tyrone