Michael A. Huskey (c. 1841 – October 1864) 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 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. ...

Early life and family

A native of

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 ...

, Huskey immigrated to the United States with his family as a child, in 1848 or 1849. The family originally settled in

Lockport, New York Lockport is both a city and the Lockport (town), New York, town that surrounds it in Niagara County, New York, Niagara County, New York (state), New York. The city is the Niagara county seat, with a population of 21,165 according to 2010 census ...

, and later moved to nearby Royalton. Huskey Cemetery in Royalton is located on the old family farm.

Military career

Huskey joined the U.S. Navy early in the war and worked as a

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also a ...

, feeding coal to the boilers aboard steamships. By March 1863, he was serving on the gunboat , part of the

Mississippi River Squadron The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and was ...

, conducting operations in support of the campaign to capture Vicksburg, Mississippi. During Steele's Bayou Expedition in mid-March, the ''Carondelet'' was among a group of Union ships which attempted to bypass Vicksburg and reach 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 ...

from the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

by steaming through Steele's

Bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

. The ships became stuck in the bayou's narrow channel and came under fire from

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 ...

soldiers on shore. In an effort to trap the ships, the Confederates began chopping down trees such that they fell across the channel. During the engagement, the tugboat , which carried the commanding Union admiral, became stuck. Despite the Confederate fire, Huskey volunteered for a rescue party which successfully freed the ''Ivy''. Union troops led by General

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

cleared the Confederate soldiers from the area, but the bayou proved impassable and the ships were forced to turn back. For his actions during the expedition, he was approved for the Medal of Honor a year later, on April 16, 1864. Only months later, in October 1864, Huskey died of illness at a hospital in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. He had neither claimed nor received his Medal of Honor before his death; it is unclear whether he was ever aware of the award. Huskey's place of burial is unknown. According to

Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niag ...

historian Catherine Emerson, he was most likely among the "unknowns" buried in

Memphis National Cemetery Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memphis ...

, presumably after authorities lost track of his identity.

Unclaimed medal

Officials from Niagara County in New York submitted a request to the

Department of the Navy Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to: * United States Department of the Navy, * Navy Department (Ministry of Defence), in the United Kingdom, 1964-1997 * Confederate States Department of the Navy, 1861-1865 * Department of the Na ...

to receive the unclaimed Medal of Honor for Huskey. The Navy denied the request, stating a lack of security in the building the county wanted to display the medal as well as the cost of creating the medal. The navy did however send county officials an embossed letter regarding his Medal of Honor which they called "an embarrassment". Although county officials were not happy with the outcome, they will display the latter in a display being dedicated in October if the medal is not available.

Medal of Honor citation

Fireman Huskey's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Carrying out his duties gallantly, Huskey volunteered to aid in the rescue of the tug ''Ivy'' under the fire of the enemy, and set forth general meritorious conduct during this hazardous mission.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huskey, Michael 1840s births 1864 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States People from Lockport, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Royalton, New York

Early life and family

Military career

Unclaimed medal

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References