Born in 1826, he received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his service in the Civil War.
On his death, on October 31, 1881, he was buried in a pauper’s grave in New York City. However, through the efforts of a great-grandson his remains were moved to Section 65 of Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1986.
SMITH, JAMES
Rank and organization: Captain of the Forecastle, U.S. Navy. Born: 1826, Albany, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864.
Citation:
As captain of a gun on board the U.S.S: Richmond during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee, in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks, Smith fought his gun with skill and courage throughout the prolonged battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram Tennessee and in the successful attacks carried out on Fort Morgan.
SMITH, JAMES
- CPO US NAVY
- CIVIL WAR
- DATE OF BIRTH: 08/15/1826
- DATE OF DEATH: 10/31/1881
- BURIED AT: SECTION 65 SITE 1485
- ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard