William H. Brown (Medal of Honor) facts for kids

William H. Brown (1836 – November 5, 1896) was a United States Navy sailor during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor.

Biography

Brown was born in 1836 in Baltimore, Maryland, and joined the Navy from his birth state on March 23, 1864. He was assigned as a landsman to the USS Brooklyn (1858), part of Rear Admiral David Farragut's West Gulf Blockading Squadron.

On August 5, 1864, during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Admiral Farragut led a squadron of eighteen Union ships, including the Brooklyn, into the Confederate-held Mobile Bay. As the squadron came under fire from Fort Morgan, Fort Gaines, and four Confederate ships, Brown served the Brooklyn's shell whip, a device which lifted boxes of gunpowder from below decks up to the gun deck. He continued in his duties keeping the guns supplied with powder throughout the battle, despite intense hostile fire. The squadron successfully forced the surrender of the Confederate ships, and land forces soon captured the defending forts. Four months later, on December 31, 1864, Brown was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

Brown died at age 59 or 60 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.