The Medal of Honor was created during the Civil War, a conflict that divided the nation and led to the distribution of 1,525 of the new medals to service members for their heroism. Nine of those medals were bestowed upon some of the gunship USS Agawam’s crew members, whose brave actions kickstarted the First Battle of Fort Fisher, in North Carolina.
For most of the Civil War, Fort Fisher saw very little combat, but that changed in late 1864 when the Union wanted to capture the last port the Confederacy held on the Atlantic Ocean.
The first part of the Union plan involved several sailors serving aboard the Agawam. The Agawam itself was undergoing repairs, so its crew was temporarily assigned to take over the USS Louisiana. Their goal: to pack the old steam ship with tons of explosives and use it as a bomb. Union naval leaders planned to blow it up in a move they thought would level part of the fort or at least dislodge its guns.
Late on Dec. 23, 1864, to prevent detection by the enemy, the Louisiana was towed into shallow waters by another vessel, the USS Wilderness. It steamed to within about 200 yards of the beach in front of Fort Fisher.
Once it was in place, the crew lit an elaborate fuse-and-clockwork system and then built fires in the propeller shaft, according to Fort Fisher’s historical website. The commander threw down an anchor with a short scope to make sure the ship got as close to the beach as possible. The men then abandoned the Louisiana and were pulled in a smaller ship to the Wilderness, which sailed about 12 miles from shore, where the rest of the fleet was located.
Unfortunately, an undertow and offshore breeze pulled the Louisiana off its course, according to Fort Fisher’s website. So, when the ship exploded less than two hours after it was abandoned, it caused no damage to the fort.
Fires could still be seen burning there the next day, but the fort’s walls were still standing. The only thing the explosion did was alert the Confederate service members of an imminent attack, which led to a battle that the Union eventually retreated from.
While the Louisiana mission proved to be a complete failure, the nine men who volunteered for it earned the Medal of Honor for their bravery. Those men are:
- Gunner’s Mate Charles Bibber
- Seaman Dennis Conlan
- Boatswain’s Mate William Garvin
- Boatswain’s Mate Charles Hawkins
- Fireman 2nd Class William Hinnegan
- Capt. of the Afterguard Robert Montgomery
- Master-at-Arms John Neil
- Fireman 2nd Class Charles Rice
- Seaman James Roberts
Of the nine men, only two — Rice and Conlan — were born in the U.S, and all were between the ages of 23 and 31.
All of the recipients received the newly minted Medal of Honor on May 12, 1865, while aboard the renovated Agawam off the coast of New Bern, Connecticut.
Meanwhile, Fort Fisher eventually fell. The Second Battle of Fort Fisher in mid-January 1865 was won by the Union, effectively cutting the Confederacy off from all global trade and supplies. The Civil War ended three months later.
This article is part of a weekly series called “Medal of Honor Monday,” in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military’s highest medal for valor.
