Alexander Crawford

Alexander Crawford was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1842, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. During the American Civil War he served in the United States Navy as a fireman aboard USS Wyalusing. Reliable details of his childhood, family and civilian employment have not yet been established for this biography.

The official award citation dates to May 25, 1864, the operation for which Crawford volunteered for a night operation against the Confederate ironclad Albemarle in the Roanoke River, North Carolina. The intended attack was discovered and abandoned. The Medal of Honor citation describes his escape after two days and nights without food, his eventual arrival aboard a friendly vessel, and his return to Wyalusing. The award recognized his courage and conduct despite the failure of the mission.

His Medal of Honor was announced in Navy General Order No. 45, dated December 31, 1864. The Navy's official award register reproduces this citation:

‘Fireman on board of the U.S.S. Wyalusing; volunteered May 25, 1864, in a night attempt to destroy the rebel ram Albemarle, in Roanoke River, and, although it was unsuccessful, he displayed courage, zeal, and unwearied exertion on the occasion.’

Crawford survived the war and died on March 17, 1886. He is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, section A, lot 65, grave 2. His postwar life remains a subject for further documentary research.

Sources: Congressional Medal of Honor Society (https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/alexander-crawford); Navy Department, Record of Medals of Honor Issued to the Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, 1862–1923 (1924), Alexander Crawford entry (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45900/45900-h/45900-h.htm).