Thomas Irving (born 1842, 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 helping to free his grounded ship. Born in 1842 in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

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

coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boat ...

on the . On November 16, 1863, ''Lehigh'' was in

Charleston Harbor The Charleston Harbor is an inlet (8 sq mi/20.7 km²) of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley and Cooper rivers at . Morris and Sullivan's Islands shelter the entrance. Charleston H ...

providing support for Union troops on shore when the ship ran aground on a sand bar and came under heavy fire from

Fort Moultrie Fort Moultrie is a series of fortifications on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, built to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, formerly named Fort Sullivan, built of palmetto logs, inspired the flag and n ...

. Despite intense Confederate artillery fire, Irving and fellow sailor Gunner's Mate

George W. Leland George W. Leland (1834 – March 18, 1880) 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 helping to free his grounded ship. Born in 1834 in Savannah, Georgi ...

rowed a small boat trailing a

hawser Hawser () is a nautical term for a thick cable or rope used in mooring or towing a ship. A hawser passes through a hawsehole, also known as a cat hole, located on the hawse.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, third edition, ...

from ''Lehigh'' to another Union ironclad, the . Both times, the cable snapped due to friction and hostile fire. Officers were about to give an "abandon ship" order when three more sailors, Landsman Frank S. Gile, Landsman William Williams, and Seaman

Horatio Nelson Young Horatio Nelson Young (July 19, 1845 – July 3, 1913) was a United States Navy sailor who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on the USS ''Lehigh'' during the American Civil War. Biography Young was born in Calais, Maine, a small United S ...

, volunteered to make one more attempt. This last effort was successful and ''Nahant'' was able to tow ''Lehigh'' off the sandbar to safety. For this action, all five sailors involved in the operation were awarded the Medal of Honor on April 16, 1864. Irving's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Served on board the U.S.S. ''Lehigh'', Charleston Harbor, 16 November 1863, during the hazardous task of freeing the ''Lehigh'', which had grounded, and was under heavy enemy fire from Fort Moultrie. Rowing the small boat which was used in the hazardous task of transferring hawsers from the ''Lehigh'' to the ''Nahant''. Irving twice succeeded in making the trip, while under severe fire from the enemy, only to find that each had been in vain when the hawsers were cut by hostile fire and chaffing.

Irving was promoted to acting

master's mate Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master. Master's mates evolved into the modern rank of Sub-Lieutenant in t ...

before leaving the Navy in January 1865.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, Thomas 1842 births Year of death unknown English emigrants to the United States People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients English-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor