branch death_date birth_place allegiance unit awards placeofburial_label battles birth_date placeofburial rank article_title name
united states navy 9 november 1893 newark , new jersey united states oneida 1861 6 medal of honor place of burial american civil war battle of mobile bay 27 may 1832 brooklyn , new york city quartermaster james sheridan -lrb- medal of honor -rrb-
 james sheridan
james sheridan -lrb- medal of honor -rrb-

james sheridan -lrb- may 27 , 1830 -- november 9 , 1893 -rrb- 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 .
born on may 27 , 1832 , in newark , new jersey , sheridan was living in new york when he joined the navy .
he was a skilled navigator and served during the civil war as a quartermaster on the .
at the battle of mobile bay on august 5 , 1864 , he acted as captain of `` oneida 's '' aft 11-inch gun as the ship took heavy fire from confederate artillery .
a shell fragment struck the carriage of his gun and another confederate shot decapitated a u.s. marine before denting and cracking the gun itself .
an 1873 account recalled that sheridan `` was badly wounded by the splinters and by pieces of the man 's head striking him in various parts of the body , bespattering him with blood and brains . ''
a button from the marine 's cap hit him in the chest but was prevented from causing injury by a watch which sheridan kept in his breast pocket for use in navigation .
despite his wounds , sheridan oversaw the firing of two more shots from his damaged gun and then took over for the injured signal quartermaster .
for these actions , he was awarded the medal of honor four months later on december 31 , 1864 , however his medal remained unclaimed and in the possession of the department of the navy as of 1898 .
sheridan 's official medal of honor citation reads : served as quartermaster on board the u.s.s. `` oneida '' in the engagement at mobile bay 5 august 1864 .
acting as captain of the after 11-inch gun , and wounded in several places , sheridan remained at his gun until the firing had ceased and then took the place of the signal quartermaster who had been injured by a fall .
recommended for his gallantry and intelligence , sheridan served courageously throughout this battle which resulted in the capture of the rebel ram `` tennessee '' and the damaging of fort morgan .
sheridan died on november 9 , 1893 , at age 61 and was buried in brooklyn , new york city .
