Charles Henry Smith

The Sailor Who Survived a Deadly Storm to Save Lives

Charles Henry Smith was an American United States Navy sailor who received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery during the American Civil War. Serving as a coxswain aboard USS Rhode Island, Smith distinguished himself during the desperate rescue of sailors from the sinking ironclad USS Monitor off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on December 30, 1862. After helping rescue several men from the endangered vessel, he became separated from his ship in a violent storm and spent hours in a small boat on the open Atlantic Ocean before being rescued. His courage during the dangerous operation earned him the nation's highest military decoration.

Born on March 7, 1826, in Standish, Maine, Smith grew up in a region closely connected to maritime activity. Although limited information survives concerning his childhood, family background, education, and early civilian occupation, his documented naval service places him among the sailors who served the Union during the Civil War.

Smith entered the United States Navy from Maine and eventually served aboard USS Rhode Island, a steam-powered side-wheel vessel that supported Union naval operations during the conflict. At the time of his Medal of Honor action, he held the rating of coxswain, a position involving responsibility for handling and directing a ship's boat and its crew.

During the Civil War, USS Rhode Island performed important naval duties, including towing and supporting other Union vessels. In December 1862, the ship was assigned to tow USS Monitor, the famous Union ironclad, from Hampton Roads, Virginia, toward Beaufort, North Carolina.

USS Monitor had become internationally known earlier that year for its engagement with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia during the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862. Its revolutionary armored turret represented a significant development in naval warfare, but the vessel's low freeboard and design created difficulties when operating in rough ocean conditions.

The transfer southward exposed Monitor to the dangers of the Atlantic coast during winter. Although the ironclad was designed for combat in relatively sheltered waters, the journey required it to confront open-sea conditions while under tow.

As USS Rhode Island and Monitor moved along the coast of North Carolina, the weather deteriorated. Strong winds and increasingly heavy seas made the voyage hazardous. Waves swept across Monitor's low deck, and water began entering the vessel.

By the night of December 30, 1862, the situation aboard Monitor had become critical. The ironclad was taking on water faster than its pumps could remove it, and its crew faced the possibility of losing the vessel in the storm.

The officers and sailors aboard USS Rhode Island recognized that immediate action would be necessary to rescue the men from the sinking ironclad. Small boats were launched into the dangerous waters to transfer Monitor's crew to safety.

Smith participated in this rescue operation as a coxswain. His responsibilities placed him directly in the hazardous conditions surrounding the sinking vessel, where the combination of darkness, strong winds, and high waves made maneuvering a small boat exceptionally difficult.

The danger extended beyond the possibility of capsizing. The rescue boats had to approach an ironclad that was sinking in turbulent seas and then return through the storm to the relative safety of USS Rhode Island.

Despite these conditions, Smith participated in the rescue of several men from Monitor. His actions contributed to the effort to bring endangered sailors away from the vessel before it disappeared beneath the waves.

As the rescue continued, Monitor's condition worsened. Water overwhelmed the ship, and the ironclad eventually sank off Cape Hatteras during the early hours of December 31, 1862.

Although many members of Monitor's crew were rescued, sixteen men lost their lives in the disaster. The sinking became one of the most significant naval losses associated with the famous Union ironclad.

Smith's ordeal continued even after he had helped rescue sailors from the sinking vessel. During the operation, the small cutter in which he was serving became separated from USS Rhode Island amid the heavy gale.

Unable to return to the larger ship, Smith and the other men aboard the cutter were left exposed to the storm in the open Atlantic Ocean. Their small boat offered little protection against the wind and high seas.

For many hours, the men struggled to survive while the storm continued around them. The danger that had begun as a rescue mission had become a separate struggle for their own lives.

The small cutter was eventually discovered and its occupants rescued by a schooner approximately fifty miles east of Cape Hatteras. Smith survived the ordeal, having endured both the dangerous effort to save Monitor's crew and the prolonged exposure to the storm afterward.

His actions became a documented example of courage during a naval emergency. Rather than facing enemy artillery or attempting to capture a hostile vessel, Smith had risked his life to save fellow sailors threatened by a sinking warship and dangerous weather.

The official Medal of Honor citation recognized his participation in the rescue of Monitor's officers and crew, the assistance he gave to several endangered men, and the hours he spent at sea after his boat became separated from USS Rhode Island.

The rescue operation demonstrated the dangers faced by Civil War sailors beyond direct combat. Storms, mechanical failures, flooding, and the limitations of nineteenth-century naval technology could threaten even advanced warships.

Smith's conduct illustrated the courage required to undertake a rescue when the rescuers themselves faced a substantial possibility of death. His actions were recognized for their direct contribution to saving lives under exceptionally hazardous conditions.

The United States Navy formally recognized Charles H. Smith through General Order No. 59, dated June 22, 1865, awarding him the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the rescue operation of December 30, 1862.

The recognition came more than two years after the sinking of USS Monitor and shortly after the conclusion of the American Civil War. His decoration preserved the account of his courage during one of the best-known naval disasters of the conflict.

Smith subsequently attained the rating of Master's Mate, the highest rank recorded in his naval service. This later advancement distinguished his military career from the coxswain rating he held during his Medal of Honor action.

The surviving biographical accounts provide limited information concerning the remainder of his naval career, the circumstances of his discharge, and his subsequent civilian occupation. His documented historical recognition remains centered on his service aboard USS Rhode Island and his participation in the rescue of Monitor's crew.

Smith lived for more than three decades after the Civil War. He died on February 4, 1898, in West Concord, Vermont, at the age of 71.

He was buried at Concord Village Cemetery in Concord, Vermont, where his grave commemorates his military service and Medal of Honor recognition.

Charles Henry Smith's legacy is defined by his courage during the loss of USS Monitor off Cape Hatteras. On a storm-tossed night in December 1862, he helped rescue endangered sailors from a sinking ironclad before becoming stranded at sea himself.

His survival after hours in a small boat and his eventual rescue by a passing schooner formed part of an extraordinary episode in American naval history.

His Medal of Honor, awarded in 1865, preserves the recognition of a sailor who accepted personal danger to help save the lives of others. Charles Henry Smith remains remembered for his bravery, determination, and service aboard USS Rhode Island during one of the most dangerous rescue operations of the American Civil War.