Charles H. Weeks

Charles H. Weeks was born in 1837 in New Jersey. During the American Civil War he entered the United States Navy, where he eventually served aboard the ironclad monitor USS Montauk. At the time of the action for which he received the Medal of Honor, Weeks held the enlisted naval rating of Captain of the Foretop. Congressional Medal of Honor Society records confirm his branch, rating, ship, birthplace, and the fact that his award was not posthumous. Congressional Medal of Honor Society The title Captain of the Foretop came from the sailing-era organization of a warship's crew. It was not an officer's rank and did not mean that Weeks commanded the ship. Rather, it was an experienced enlisted rating associated with seamanship and supervision of sailors. On an ironclad such as Montauk, traditional shipboard ratings continued to be used even though the vessel differed radically from the tall-masted wooden warships of earlier generations. USS Montauk was one of the Union Navy's Passaic-class monitors, heavily armored, low-profile ironclads designed for coastal and harbor warfare. The ship had already developed a formidable Civil War history before Weeks's Medal of Honor action. Under Captain John L. Worden, Montauk had bombarded Fort McAllister, Georgia, destroyed the Confederate vessel Rattlesnake, survived the explosion of a Confederate mine beneath her hull, and later participated in attacks against the fortifications defending Charleston. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command preserves contemporary imagery of Montauk destroying Rattlesnake and being damaged by a mine in February 1863. Naval History and Heritage Command These operations demonstrate the dangerous environment in which Montauk served. Ironclads were designed to survive enemy gunfire, but their enclosed construction created other hazards. Fire aboard any nineteenth-century warship was dangerous; fire near a magazine, where powder and ammunition were stored, could be catastrophic. That danger became very real on the night of September 21, 1864, while USS Montauk was operating off Port Royal, South Carolina. A fire was discovered in the vessel's magazine lightroom. The magazine itself was one of the most sensitive areas aboard a warship because it contained the powder required for the ship's guns. Lighting arrangements were designed to reduce the possibility of an accidental spark reaching the powder spaces, but a fire in or near the lightroom created an immediate threat to the entire ship. The discovery caused alarm among the crew. According to Weeks's official Medal of Honor citation, the situation produced panic and demoralization aboard the vessel. Sailors understood exactly what the cry of “fire in the magazine” could mean. If the flames reached the powder, an explosion could destroy the ship and kill much of the crew within moments. Congressional Medal of Honor Society In the middle of that emergency, Charles H. Weeks remained composed. Rather than joining the panic or withdrawing from the danger, he displayed what the official citation described as great presence of mind. Weeks actively assisted in fighting the fire and rendered valuable service in extinguishing the flames before they could produce a disaster. The significance of his action was not based on combat with an enemy ship or fort. His Medal of Honor recognized a different type of naval courage: the willingness to move toward an immediate shipboard danger when instinct might have driven others away. A magazine fire placed Weeks at risk not simply from heat or smoke, but from the possibility of a sudden explosion. A burning powder space could turn a heavily armored warship into a death trap. His calm response under those circumstances helped protect USS Montauk and the men aboard her. This distinction is important in understanding his Medal of Honor. Many Civil War Navy recipients were decorated for remaining at their guns under enemy fire, participating in boarding operations, rescuing wounded sailors, or fighting through fortified waterways. Weeks's award instead came from preventing a shipboard catastrophe during wartime service. His citation specifically praised his calmness and useful work in extinguishing the flames that were endangering both the vessel and its crew. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Weeks survived the emergency. USS Montauk also survived and continued serving through the remaining months of the Civil War. In early 1865, the monitor was transferred from the South Atlantic theater to operations associated with the Cape Fear River. After the war ended, Montauk proceeded to the Washington Navy Yard. The vessel later became historically famous for another unusual role: on April 27, 1865, the body of President Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was brought aboard the ship for examination and identification. The monitor was also used to hold several of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. Historical summaries of Montauk preserve this extraordinary postwar episode. Wikipedia There is not sufficient recipient-specific evidence to state with certainty that Weeks personally remained aboard Montauk for each of those later events, so those episodes should be understood as part of the ship's history rather than automatically assigned to him. Weeks's bravery on September 21, 1864, was formally recognized after the war. Historical New Jersey Medal of Honor documentation records that Charles H. Weeks received the Medal of Honor on October 3, 1867, for his conduct aboard USS Montauk. Suvcw His official status for the action was: Rank: Captain of the Foretop Branch: United States Navy Ship: USS Montauk Action Date: September 21, 1864 Action Place: Off Port Royal, South Carolina The award was not posthumous. Congressional Medal of Honor Society For the historical ribbon system used in this project, his decoration should therefore be represented as: Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy — No device No V device, star, clasp, or other attachment should be added unless separate recipient-specific evidence establishes one. Weeks's Medal of Honor also illustrates how broad the original purpose of the Navy Medal of Honor was during the Civil War. The decoration could recognize extraordinary courage in direct battle, lifesaving action, or exceptional conduct during shipboard emergencies. What mattered was unusual bravery and service beyond ordinary expectations. Weeks met that standard during a moment in which the survival of his ship may have depended upon the ability of a few sailors to remain calm. The cry of fire near a powder magazine had created panic. Weeks did not panic. He stayed at the danger point, helped fight the flames, and contributed directly to preventing a potentially devastating explosion. That act secured his place among the Medal of Honor recipients of the United States Navy. Unfortunately, the surviving authoritative Medal of Honor records preserve very little about his later civilian life. Congressional Medal of Honor Society currently lists his birth as 1837 in New Jersey, but provides no verified death date or burial location. Under the project's zero-assumption rule, those fields should remain unknown rather than being filled from uncertain genealogical matches or similarly named individuals. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Charles H. Weeks's historical legacy therefore rests almost entirely on one exceptionally dangerous night aboard USS Montauk. He was not a commanding officer, and he did not win his decoration by directing a fleet or capturing an enemy flag. He was an experienced enlisted sailor who faced one of the most terrifying emergencies possible aboard a nineteenth-century warship. When fire threatened the magazine and fear spread through the crew, Weeks responded with discipline instead of panic. His action helped save the ship and the lives of the men around him. That calm courage earned him the Medal of Honor.