Thomas C. Barton (born c. 1831 in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
) was an American
seaman
Seaman may refer to:
* Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew
* Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies
* Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name)
* ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...
who served in the
Union Navy during the
American Civil War. Barton enlisted in the Navy in June 1861, and resigned in April 1864.
While serving aboard the during the
Joint Expedition Against Franklin, Barton extinguished an ignited
howitzer
A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
shell which had fallen onto the
deck. For this action, Barton was promoted to
acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
master's mate and awarded the
Medal of Honor on 3 April 1863;
the citation for the latter read:
On board the U.S.S. Hunchback in the attack on Franklin, Va., 3 October 1862. When an ignited shell, with cartridge attached, fell out of the howitzer upon the deck, S/man Barton promptly seized a pail of water and threw it upon the missile, thereby preventing it from exploding.
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 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Thomas
1830s births
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Military personnel from Cleveland
People of Ohio in the American Civil War
Union Navy sailors
Year of death unknown
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor