Thomas E . Corcoran Thomas E . Corcoran ( October 12 , 1839 – March 12 , 1904 ) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions during the Siege of Vicksburg . He was awarded the medal for rescuing his crewmates during the sinking of his ship , the , in the Mississippi River . Under heavy fire from a Confederate artillery battery , Corcoran and three other men swam back and forth between the riverbank and the sinking ship , helping crewmen who could not swim reach shore . The four men then towed a small boat , carrying wounded sailors and the ship ' s commander , to the safety of Union forces . Biography . Corcoran was born in Dublin , Ireland , October 12 , 1839 . He enlisted from New York for a three - year term of service in the U . S . Navy on May 12 , 1861 , one month after the start of the American Civil War . Assigned first as a landsman to the , he later transferred to the and reached the rank of able seaman . Because the crew of the " Santee " began to fall ill with scurvy , Corcoran was discharged from the Navy on September 10 , 1862 , less than half - way through his enlistment . He re - enlisted the next month , on October 22 , again for a three - year term , and was posted as a landsman to " Cincinnati " for service on the upper Mississippi River . On May 27 , 1863 , during the Siege of Vicksburg , Mississippi , " Cincinnati " was ordered to steam down the Mississippi River and destroy two Confederate artillery guns which were impeding the advance of General William Tecumseh Sherman ' s right flank . Between " Cincinnati " and the two guns was a Confederate eleven - piece heavy artillery battery which , from its position atop a bluff , had command over that entire stretch of the river . The Union forces had been aware of the battery , but , shortly before " Cincinnati " received its orders , the battery had disappeared and was assumed to have been moved elsewhere . Unbeknownst to them , the battery ' s guns had been removed from view by simply lowering them from their carriages , both to protect them from the fire of ships on the river and to deceive the Union forces . The commander of the battery had discovered the Union signal code , and when he intercepted a message describing " Cincinnati " s mission , he had the guns re - assembled during the night and concealed them in brush . On the morning of May 27 , " Cincinnati " headed downstream and reached its target , the two artillery guns . Just as it fired its first shots , the hidden battery on the bluff also opened fire , completely surprising the Union ship . The first Confederate shell scored a direct hit , passing through " Cincinnati ' s " magazine and exiting through the bottom of the ship . Another shell disabled the ship ' s steering mechanism . " Cincinnati " s own guns could not be elevated enough to return fire on the high battery . Knowing his ship was doomed , the commander , Lieutenant George M . Bache , headed " Cincinnati " full - steam back up the river in search of a place on which to beach the ship . A suitable spot being found , " Cincinnati " was run aground , a hawser tied to a tree , and gangplank laid out . Before the men could evacuate , the hawser came loose and the ship slipped from the bank out into the river , where it began to sink in about of water . Many of the crew , including the commander , could not swim ; those who could , including Corcoran , began to abandon ship . Still under intense fire , Corcoran and three others , Boatswain ' s Mate Henry Dow , Seaman Thomas Jenkins , and Seaman Martin McHugh , swam back and forth , helping their crewmates to shore . They then reboarded " Cincinnati " , hastily repaired a small boat which had been damaged by the Confederate fire , and loaded it with men who were too badly wounded to be dragged through the water . After Lieutenant Bache also climbed into the boat , they towed it to the safety of a Union flotilla . For these actions , Corcoran was awarded the Medal of Honor a month and a half later , on July 10 , 1863 . The other three swimmers , Dow , Jenkins , and McHugh , and two more " Cincinnati " crewmen also received the medal for their part in the action . After the sinking of " Cincinnati " , Corcoran was transferred to the to finish out his term of service . He died March 12 , 1904 , at age 64 and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside , Queens , New York . His grave can be found in section 17 , range 12 , plot D , grave 8 . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Landsman , U . S . Navy . Born : 1838 , New York . Accredited to : New York . G . O . No . : 17 , July 10 , 1863 . Citation : Served on board the U . S . S . " Cincinnati " during the attack on the Vicksburg batteries and at the time of her sinking . Engaging the enemy in a fierce battle , the " Cincinnati " , amidst an incessant fire of shot and shell , continued to fire her guns to the last , though so penetrated by shellfire that her fate was sealed . Serving bravely during this action , Corcoran was conspicuously cool under the fire of the enemy , never ceasing to fight until this proud ship went down , " her colors nailed to the mast . "