Medal of Honor Recipient Robert E. Simanek Passes Away at 92
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Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Stories of Sacrifice
U.S. Civil War - U.S. Navy
Thomas English
Details
Rank: Signal Quartermaster
Conflict/Era: U.S. Civil War
Unit/Command: U.S.S. New Ironsides
Military Service Branch: U.S. Navy
Medal of Honor Action Date: January 13 - 15, 1865
Medal of Honor Action Place: Fort Fisher, North Carolina, USA
Citation
English served on board the U.S.S. New Ironsides during action in several attacks on Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864; and 13, 14 and 15 January 1865. The ship steamed in and took the lead in the ironclad division close inshore and immediately opened its starboard battery in a barrage of well-directed fire to cause several fires and explosions and dismount several guns during the first two days of fighting. Taken under fire as she steamed into position on 13 January, the New Ironsides fought and took on ammunition at night despite severe weather conditions. When the enemy came out of his bombproofs to defend the fort against the storming party, the ship's battery disabled nearly every gun on the fort facing the shore before the cease-fire orders were given by the flagship.
Additional Details
Accredited to: New York, New York
Awarded Posthumously: No
Presentation Date & Details: June 22, 1865
Born: 1819, New York, NY, United States
Died: April 11, 1868, USS Piscataqua, at sea
Buried: burial at sea, at sea
Location of Medal:
Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC