The last entry mentioned Wilson Brown who received a Medal of Honor at the Battle of Mobile Bay August 5, 1864. Another sailor, John Lawson also received one in the same action.
I looked him up and found an article in Wikipedia.
Brown was born in 1841 and died in 1900. He was a landsman on the USS Hartford, Admiral Farragut's flagship of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron.
On August 5, 1864, 18 Union ships engaged the guns of Fort Morgan and a small group of Confederate ships, led by the CSS Tennessee.
Brown and five other sailors were operating a shell whip, a device for lifting gunpowder up to the gun deck. A Confederate shell exploded among the men and Brown was blown through a hatch unconscious to the deck below. The body of one of the others landed on him. The only other survivor was John Lawson.
Lawson regained consciousness first and, although wounded, refused medical attention and returned to duty. Brown did the same when he came to. Both men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions. A total of 12 received the medals for that fight.
JOHN LAWSON was born in 1837 in Philadelphia, Pa.. Like Brown, he was a black man (I wonder whether the entire shell whip crew were black).
He was buried at Mount Palace cemetery in Lawnside, NJ. Over the years, his tombstone was lost and a fire destroyed the cemetery's records, so the exact location of his grave is not known. On April 24, 2004, he was given a new tombstone along with 72 other Union veterans.
Brave Men, All. --B-Runner
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
