Bartholomew Diggins

Bartholomew Diggins was a United States Navy sailor who served aboard USS Hartford during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his conduct during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864.

Service in the United States Navy

During the Civil War, Diggins served as an Ordinary Seaman aboard USS Hartford, the flagship of Rear Admiral David G. Farragut. Hartford was part of the Union fleet sent into Mobile Bay, Alabama, to engage Confederate forts and naval forces defending the bay.

The entrance to Mobile Bay was protected by Confederate batteries and vessels, including the ironclad CSS Tennessee. On August 5, 1864, Farragut’s fleet entered the bay and fought through intense enemy fire. Hartford sustained damage and suffered casualties during the engagement.

Diggins served as a gun loader aboard the flagship. His duty required him to remain with his gun crew during the battle. The official citation records that, despite the damage to Hartford and the loss of men, he remained steadfast at his post through the two-hour action. The battle ended with the surrender of CSS Tennessee and damage to Confederate batteries at Fort Morgan.

Medal of Honor

Diggins received the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard USS Hartford at Mobile Bay. His award was recorded in Navy General Order No. 391, dated November 12, 1891. The citation recognized his persistence at his gun during the battle.

His verified award is:

Medal of Honor — U.S. Navy

No device or clasp is recorded for his Medal of Honor.

Later Life and Legacy

After his naval service, Diggins lived and worked in Washington, D.C. Arlington National Cemetery’s educational record states that he served for nearly twenty-five years as captain of the watch at the State, War, and Navy Department Building. He died on February 23, 1917, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 13, Grave 5400-15.

Diggins’s military record is preserved most clearly through the official account of his conduct at Mobile Bay. As an Ordinary Seaman and gun loader aboard Farragut’s flagship, he remained at his station under fire, helping keep his gun crew at work during a decisive naval engagement of the Civil War.