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Medal of Honor Recipient

William Martin

U.S. Navy · Civil War

MOH-RC-003294Source-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: 1862

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 24, 1862

Forts Jackson and St. Philip, Louisiana, USA

Rank at action
Seaman
Service
U.S. Navy
Conflict
Civil War
Unit or command
USS Varuna

The Citation

Sources ↓
Captain of a gun on board the U.S.S. Varuna during an attack on Forts Jackson and St. Philip, 24 April 1862. His ship was taken under furious fire by the rebel Morgan and severely damaged by ramming. Steadfast at his station through the thickest of the fight, Martin inflicted damage on the enemy, remaining cool and courageous although the Varuna, so badly damaged that she was forced to beach, was finally sunk.

Sources & record notes

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

  1. William Martin — 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-003309
Transcription status
Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
Last source check
2026-09-01
Recorded order reference (not verified against the original)
11
Accredited to
New York
Archive transcription SHA-256
58187943e0ee9a7929517f4b4042a41a050592b46a3796517d51aedad964fb5c

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

The USS Varuna profile is selected by ship and April 24, 1862 action, distinct from the USS Benton recipient of the same name.

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