William Williams (1840 – May 5, 1893) 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.

Military service

A native of Ireland born in 1840, Williams immigrated to the U.S. and joined the Navy from Pennsylvania. He served during the Civil War as a landsman 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 ...

. Several attempts were made to pass 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, ...

to another Union ironclad, the , but each time the cable snapped due to friction and hostile fire. Officers were about to give an "abandon ship" order when Williams and two other sailors, Landsman Frank S. Gile 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. Despite intense Confederate artillery fire, the men rowed a small boat from ''Lehigh'' to ''Nahant'', trailing a line attached to a hawser. This operation successfully completed, ''Nahant'' was able to tow ''Lehigh'' off the sandbar to safety. For this action, Williams, Gile, and Young were each awarded the Medal of Honor five months later, on April 16, 1864. Two sailors involved in the earlier attempts to save ''Lehigh'', Coxswain Thomas Irving and 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 ...

, also received the medal at the same time.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 32, 16 April 1864. Williams' official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. ''Lehigh'', Charleston Harbor, 16 November 1863, during the hazardous task of freeing the ''Lehigh'', which had been grounded, and was under heavy enemy fire from Fort Moultrie. After several previous attempts had been made, Williams succeeded in passing in a small boat from the ''Lehigh'' to the ''Nahant'' with a line bent on a hawser. This courageous action while under severe enemy fire enabled the ''Lehigh'' to be freed from her helpless position.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, William 1840 births 1893 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from County Louth Burials at Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia)