Richard D. Dunphy (December 12, 1841 – November 23, 1904) was a Union Navy 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 at the Battle of Mobile Bay.

Military service

Born on December 12, 1841, in Ireland, Dunphy immigrated to the United States and was living in New York City when he joined the U.S. Navy on December 17, 1863. He served during the Civil War as a coal heaver on Admiral David Farragut's flagship, the . At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he "performed his duties with skill and courage" despite heavy fire. He was severely wounded by fragments of an artillery shell fired by the Confederate ironclad , losing both of his arms above the elbow. For his actions during the battle, he was approved for the Medal of Honor four months later, on December 31, 1864.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Coal Heaver, U.S. Navy. Accredited to: New York. Dunphy's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the flagship U.S.S. ''Hartford'' during successful attacks against
Fort Morgan Fort Morgan can apply to any one of several places in the United States: *Fort Morgan (Alabama), a fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay *Fort Morgan, Alabama, a nearby community *Fort Morgan (Colorado), a frontier military post located in present-day Fo ...
, rebel gunboats and the rebel ram ''Tennessee'', Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. With his ship under terrific enemy shellfire, Dunphy performed his duties with skill and courage throughout this fierce engagement which resulted in the capture of the rebel ram ''Tennessee''.

Post War life, death and burial

After his injury, Dunphy left the Navy and hired an aide to accompany him throughout the day and assist with such tasks as feeding himself. In 1866, he wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles explaining that he had never received his medal. He eventually moved to Wisconsin, married, and raised a family. The

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican ...

approved an extra pension for Dunphy in 1868 to help him support his family. Dunphy died on November 23, 1904, in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

at age 62 and was buried in Saint Vincent's Cemetery,

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to the ...

. Dunphy's obituary in the November 24, 1904 San Francisco Call newspaper read:

Old Naval Hero Dies. - Richard D. Dunphy, one of the naval heroes of the Civil War, passed away at his home in this city yesterday morning. Dunphy served in Admiral Farragut's fleet during the war and had both arms shot off during the battle of Mobile Bay. He was a native of Ireland and 62 years old.

References

External links

Photograph of Dunphy
at ''Luminous Lint'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunphy, Richard D. 1841 births 1904 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) 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 People without hands American amputees American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor