John Woon (born 1823, date of death unknown) was a

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

sailor 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 ...

and a recipient of the U.S. 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. ...

, for his actions during the

Battle of Grand Gulf The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during the American Civil War. As part of Major General Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg campaign, seven Union Navy ironclad warships commanded by Admiral David Dixon Porter bombarded Confederat ...

. Born in 1823 in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Woon immigrated to the United States and was living in New York when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the Civil War as a boatswain's mate and gun captain on the . At the

, Mississippi, on April 29, 1863, he "had been confined to his hammock several days from sickness, yet insisted on and took command of the gun of which he was captain; fought it for over two hours, and only left it when no longer able to stand". For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a few months later on July 10, 1863. Woon's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Serving on board the U.S.S. ''Pittsburg'', Mississippi River, 29 April 1863. Engaging the enemy batteries at Grand Gulf, the U.S.S. ''Pittsburg'', although severely damaged and suffering many personnel casualties, continued to fire her batteries until ordered to withdraw. Taking part in a similar action after nightfall, the U.S.S. ''Pittsburg'' received further damage, but receiving no personnel casualties in the latter action. Woon showed courage and devotion to duty throughout these bitter engagements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woon, John 1823 births Year of death unknown English emigrants to the United States People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients English-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor