Thomas Fitzpatrick (born 1837, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Born in 1837 in Canada, Fitzpatrick, joined the US Navy from Taunton, Massachusetts in December 1861. He served during the Civil War as a coxswain on Admiral David Farragut's flagship, the . Acting as a gun captain at the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, Fitzpatrick was wounded in the face by splinters and his artillery piece was disabled by hostile fire. Within minutes, he returned the gun to operation by making necessary repairs and clearing away the dead and wounded. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later on December 31, 1864. Fitzpatrick had been discharged earlier that same month. Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War
/ref> Fitzpatrick's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Coxswain Thomas Fitzpatrick, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action, serving as Captain of the No. 1 gun on board the flagship '' U.S.S. Hartford'', during action against rebel gunboats, the ram '' Tennessee'' and
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 ...
in
Mobile Bay, Alabama Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...
, 5 August 1864. Although struck several times in the face by splinters, and with his gun disabled when a shell burst between the two forward 9-inch guns, killing and wounding 15 men, Coxswain Fitzpatrick, within a few minutes, had the gun in working order again with new track, breeching and side tackle, had sent the wounded below, cleared the area of other casualties, and was fighting his gun as before. He served as an inspiration to the members of his crew and contributed to the success of the action in which the ''Tennessee'' was captured.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, Thomas 1837 births Year of death unknown Pre-Confederation Canadian emigrants to the United States People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Canadian-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor