TRACKPADS Armored in facts. Driven by stories.

The Trackpads collection

FIND YOUR NEXT DISCOVERY.

Search the people, battles, citations, stories, books and audio behind military history.

Type at least two letters or numbers.Full search & filters

Medal of Honor Recipient

Samuel Woods

U.S. Navy · U.S. Civil War

MOH-RC-002766Source-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: 1863

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.

Medal imagery and historical designs →

Medal of Honor

April 14, 1863

Nansemond River, Virginia, USA

Rank at action
Seaman
Service
U.S. Navy
Conflict
U.S. Civil War
Unit or command
U.S.S. Mount Washington

The Citation

Sources ↓
As captain of the gun, serving temporarily on board the U.S.S. Mount Washington, during the Nansemond River action, 14 April 1863. When one of his comrades was struck by a bullet and knocked overboard, Woods fearlessly jumped into the water and swam after him. Before he reached him, the man sank beneath the surface and Woods promptly swam back to the vessel, went to his gun, and fought it to the close of the action. At the close of the battle, he tirelessly cared for the wounded.

Sources & record notes

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

  1. Samuel Woods — 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-002780
Transcription status
Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
Last source check
2026-09-01
Recorded order reference (not verified against the original)
17
Accredited to
California
Archive transcription SHA-256
02020a030fad5135e86b35d57ddf014e847c0e04a493fe7a597c1ebab653981e

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; legacy citation and source-row provenance are retained; General Order comparison remains pending.

Continue Across Trackpads

FOLLOW THE SUBJECT.