Robert Emil Sommers (December 17, 1837 – December 1, 1919) (later anglicized to Summers) was a sailor in the
U.S. Navy during the
American Civil War. He received the
Medal of Honor for his actions during the
Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.
Military service
Sommers volunteered for service in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Union
sloop-of-war
In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...
. His enlistment is credited to the state of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
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* '' ...
.
On January 15, 1865, the
North Carolina Confederate stronghold of
Fort Fisher was taken by a combined Union storming party of sailors, marines, and soldiers under the command of Admiral
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank o ...
and General
Alfred Terry.
Sommers continued to serve in the Navy after the war. He was appointed to the Warrant Officer rank of Gunner on 11 November 1873 and was promoted to Chief Gunner on 3 March 1899. He retired, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 62, on 17 December 1899.
He died on December 1, 1919 in
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
and is buried in the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery.
Awards
*
Medal of Honor
*
Civil War Campaign Medal
*
Spanish Campaign Medal
Medal of Honor citation
For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Chief Quartermaster Robert Sommers, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving on board the U.S.S. TICONDEROGA in the attacks on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, 13 to 15 January 1865. The ship took position in the line of battle and maintained a well-directed fire upon the batteries to the left of the palisades during the initial phase of the engagement. Although several of the enemy's shots fell over and around the vessel, the TICONDEROGA fought her guns gallantly throughout three consecutive days of battle until the flag was planted on one of the strongest fortifications possessed by the rebels.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 59 (June 22, 1865)
Action Date: January 15, 1865
Service: Navy
Rank: Chief Quartermaster
Division: U.S.S. Ticonderoga
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their ...
*
List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: Q–S
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Second Battle of Fort Fisher
References
*
1837 births
1919 deaths
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients
Union Navy sailors
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
Prussian emigrants to the United States
Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery
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