Alexander H. Truett

Born on the Fourth of July, Alexander H. Truett spent much of his life at sea. His Medal of Honor recognized two hours aboard USS Richmond when enemy fire swept the decks and he continued performing his duties despite the ship’s damage and casualties. [1]

Truett was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 4 July 1833. Research published by the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery places his first naval enlistment in 1855, followed by further enlistments before and during the Civil War. A Navy Department account also records his participation in the capture of two vessels near Veracruz in March 1860 and in the operations against New Orleans and the batteries at Vicksburg. [2,3]

On 5 August 1864 he was a coxswain aboard Richmond during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama. His ship fought Confederate forts, gunboats and the ironclad Tennessee. The Medal of Honor citation credits him with sustained skill and courage throughout the engagement, during which Tennessee surrendered. His distinction lay in carrying out his responsibilities under fire, keeping his place in the crew’s collective effort while men around him were being hit. This is a summary of the citation. [1]

His award appears in Navy General Order No. 45, dated 31 December 1864; the Congressional Medal of Honor Society separately records a presentation date of 24 October 1865. [1,3]

The end of the war did not end Truett’s naval career. According to the cemetery’s researchers, he continued reenlisting through at least 1880 and eventually retired to the Naval Home in Philadelphia. He died in that city on 5 December 1898, aged sixty-five, and was buried in the naval section of Mount Moriah Cemetery. His life connects the Navy of the 1850s with the generation of veterans who lived long enough to see the Civil War become history. [1,2]

Sources [1] Congressional Medal of Honor Society: https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/alexander-h-truett [2] Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery: https://friendsofmountmoriahcemetery.org/about/notable-burials/alexander-truett/ [3] Navy Department, Record of Medals of Honor Issued (1924), Alexander H. Truett entry: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45900/45900-h/45900-h.htm