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Medal of Honor Recipient

James Ward

U.S. Navy · Civil War

MOH-RC-003309Source-based record

The award

Representative medal image: early Navy star design and striped ribbon. Not a portrait or a photograph of this recipient’s own medal.
Navy Medal of HonorAction-era reference: 1864

Portrait not yet available. Representative medal shown.

About this image

Presentation date is not usable for design selection. This is an action-era reference; a later presentation or replacement medal may differ.

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Medal of Honor

August 5, 1864

Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama, USA

Rank at action
Quarter Gunner
Service
U.S. Navy
Conflict
Civil War
Unit or command
USS Lackawanna

The Citation

Sources ↓
Serving as gunner on board the U.S.S. Lackawanna during successful attacks against Fort Morgan, rebel gunboats and the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Although wounded and ordered below, Ward refused to go, but rendered aid at one of the guns when the crew was disabled. He subsequently remained in the chains, heaving the lead, until nearly caught in the collision with the ram Tennessee. He continued to serve bravely throughout the action which resulted in the capture of the prize ram Tennessee and in the damaging and destruction of Fort Morgan.

Sources & record notes

General Order comparison: pending. Current-profile review does not mean that the underlying original order has been examined.

  1. James Ward — Congressional Medal of Honor Society recipient profile ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society · Checked 2026-09-01

    current identity, service, action metadata, and citation comparison

Transcription, metadata & provenance notes
Award ID
MOH-AW-003324
Transcription status
Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
Last source check
2026-09-01
Recorded order reference (not verified against the original)
45
Accredited to
New York
Archive transcription SHA-256
cd8b24819fd39b94868fa1e454ae2dc83a57ef24f4cc73d628d585e56b875a06

Legacy transcription retained without substantive editing; rendered current reference profile comparison is documented in the Phase 10 evidence snapshot.

Current official reference profile confirms identity and core action metadata; exact legacy citation text and checksum are retained; General Order comparison remains pending.