Thomas S. Flood (born 1840, date of death unknown) 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 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 Forts Jackson and St. Philip The Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip (April 18–28, 1862) was the decisive battle for possession of New Orleans in the American Civil War. The two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River south of the city were attacked by a Union Navy ...

. Born in 1840 in

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 ...

, Flood immigrated to the United States and was living in New York when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the Civil War on the . At the

near

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

on April 24–25, 1862, he stood on ''Pensacola's''

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

and acted as an aide to the executive officer, F.A. Roe. An artillery shell struck nearby, knocking Flood off the bridge onto the deck below and removing the leg of Signal Quartermaster Murry. Flood helped Murry below decks to the surgeon, then returned to the bridge and took over the man's duties. In his report of the battle, Roe praised Flood's actions and suggested he be appointed a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

. For his part in the battle, Flood was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later on April 3, 1863.

Citation

Flood's official Medal of Honor citation follows. The sentence at the end of the citation is from Roe's after action report.

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Boy Thomas S. Flood, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving on board the '' U.S.S. Pensacola'' in the attack on Forts Jackson and St. Philip, Louisiana, and at the taking of New Orleans, 24 and 25 April 1862. Swept from the bridge by a shell which wounded the Signal Quartermaster, Navy Boy Thomas Flood returned to the bridge after assisting the wounded man below and taking over his duties, performed them with coolness, exactitude and the fidelity of a veteran Seaman. His intelligence and character cannot be spoken of too warmly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flood, Thomas S. 1840 births 19th-century Irish people Year of death unknown Irish emigrants to the United States Irish sailors in the United States Navy People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor