Patrick Murphy ( Medal of Honor ) Patrick Murphy ( January 15 , 1823 – December 1 , 1896 ) 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 his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay . A native of Ireland , Murphy began his seafaring career as a teenager aboard merchant ships in the North Atlantic and served for two years in the Royal Navy . He joined the U . S . Navy after settling in Erie , Pennsylvania , and sailed the Great Lakes as a petty officer on the . During the American Civil War , he served aboard the and distinguished himself in the action at Mobile Bay . He returned to Erie and the USS " Michigan " after the war , continuing on that ship for twenty more years until retiring as a warrant officer . Early years . Murphy was born on January 15 , 1823 , in Waterford , Ireland , the son of produce dealer James Murphy ( 1786 – 1861 ) and his wife Ellen Murphy ( née Mansfield ) . He had four siblings : James , Mary , John , and William . At age 14 he began a three - year term as a boy seaman aboard merchant ships sailing to North America . He then joined the Royal Navy , serving two years on the . U . S . Navy service . In 1842 , Murphy settled in Erie , Pennsylvania , where he helped outfit the newly built ship " Michigan " . When the ship was commissioned into the U . S . Navy as the on September 26 , 1844 , Murphy followed it into the service . He sailed aboard " Michigan " as a quartermaster for three years , then two years as a captain of the hold , and was subsequently promoted to quarter gunner , boatswain ' s mate , and , in 1861 , acting master ' s mate . Later in 1861 he left " Michigan " and joined Admiral David Dixon Porter ' s fleet as an acting ensign , serving for eight months until illness forced him to return home to Erie for three months of recuperation . Upon regaining his health , Murphy traveled to New York City and joined the as a boatswain ' s mate , for service in the American Civil War . At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5 , 1864 , he " performed his duties with skill and courage " despite heavy fire . For this action , he was awarded the Medal of Honor three years later , on October 3 , 1867 . He later achieved the rank of chief boatswain ' s mate . Murphy ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : Served as boatswain ' s mate on board the U . S . S . " Metacomet " , 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 , Murphy performed his duties with skill and courage throughout a furious 2 - hour battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram " Tennessee " and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan . After the end of the war , Murphy returned to Erie and rejoined the USS " Michigan " in 1865 , serving as quartermaster and pilot . He was appointed to the warrant officer rank of boatswain on January 28 , 1882 , which he held until his retirement in 1885 . Personal life . On December 26 , 1845 , Murphy married Bridget Calligee of Erie . The couple had two sons : James , who became an actor , and William P . , who died in infancy . From 1853 to 1857 , Murphy owned and commanded the schooner " William Adair " in the freight trade . He was a member of the Catholic Church and the Union veterans ' organization the Grand Army of the Republic . In addition to his home on East Sixth Street , he owned several other properties in Erie . He died on December 1 , 1896 , at age 73 . External links . city