SMITH, JOHN
Rank and Organization: Captain of Forecastle, U.S. Navy. Born: 1831,
Boston, Mass. Accredited To: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864.
Citation:
On board the U.S.S. Lackawanna during the successful attacks against Fort Morgan, rebel
gunboats and the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Serving as a gun captain and
finding he could not depress his gun when alongside the rebel ironclad Tennessee, Smith
threw a hand holystone into one of the ports at a rebel using abusive language against the
crew of the ship. He continued his daring action throughout the engagement which resulted
in the capture of the prize ram Tennessee and in the damaging and destruction of Fort
Morgan.
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