William R. Pelham (December 24, 1845, or December 8, 1847 – March 30, 1933) was a

Union Navy The Union Navy was the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War, when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used carelessly to include vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior while they were un ...

sailor during 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 ...

and a recipient of the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is th ...

'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 valo ...

—for his actions at the

Battle of Mobile Bay The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...

Biography

Pelham enlisted in the Navy from New York CityRecords are inconsistent on Pelham's place of enlistment. His Medal of Honor citation states that he enlisted in Nova Scotia. The Naval Historical Center states that he enlisted in New York Cit

/ref> and took part in the Civil War as a Landman (rank), Landsman on Rear Admiral

David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. F ...

's flagship, the . On August 5, 1864, the ''Hartford'' participated in the

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

. Five months after the battle, on December 31, 1864, Pelham was issued the Medal of Honor for his conduct in that action. Pelham died at age 85 or 87 and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Born: Halifax, Nova Scotia. Enlisted in: Nova Scotia. G.O. No.: 45, December 31, 1864. Citation:

On board the flagship U.S.S. ''Hartford'' during successful actions against
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 ...
, rebel gunboats and the ram in
Mobile Bay 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. When the other members of his guncrew were killed or wounded under the enemy's terrific shellfire, Pelham calmly assisted the casualties below and voluntarily returned and took his place at an adjoining gun where another man had been struck down. He continued to fight his gun throughout the remainder of the battle which resulted in the capture of the ''Tennessee''.

Notes

References

: : * * *http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/online-parish-records-a-boon-for-researchers-1.2424460 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pelham, William R. 1840s births 1933 deaths 19th-century Irish people People from Kenmare United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Union Navy sailors American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Irish emigrants to the United States Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from County Kerry

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References