Edward B. Young

Edward B. Young was a United States Navy sailor whose courage during the Battle of Mobile Bay earned him the Medal of Honor. He served aboard USS Galena and held the rank of Coxswain at the time of the action for which he was recognized. Later in his naval career, he reached the rank of Wardroom Steward, showing that his service continued beyond the battle that made him historically significant.

As a Coxswain, Young held an important enlisted position aboard ship. A Coxswain was responsible for skilled seamanship duties, handling boats, supervising sailors in certain deck operations, and carrying out orders that required reliability and experience. During combat, these responsibilities became even more important because the crew had to continue operating effectively despite enemy fire, smoke, damage, and confusion.

Young’s defining action took place on August 5, 1864, during the Battle of Mobile Bay in Alabama. This was one of the most important naval engagements of the American Civil War. Union forces under Rear Admiral David G. Farragut entered Mobile Bay in an effort to defeat Confederate naval resistance and shut down one of the South’s most important remaining ports.

The entrance to Mobile Bay was heavily defended. Confederate forts protected the approaches, mines—then commonly called torpedoes—blocked parts of the channel, and Confederate vessels were prepared to resist the Union fleet.

USS Galena was part of the Union force moving through this dangerous environment.

During the battle, USS Oneida was heavily damaged and lost much of its ability to maneuver effectively. Remaining under the fire of Confederate forts and vessels placed Oneida in serious danger.

USS Galena moved to assist the damaged ship.

Edward B. Young performed his duties with skill and courage during this dangerous operation.

Helping a damaged vessel while under enemy fire required the crew of Galena to remain disciplined and continue working despite the possibility of being hit by artillery or small-arms fire.

Young’s conduct during this action was later recognized as worthy of the Medal of Honor.

For his bravery at Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, Edward B. Young was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The correct historical decoration associated with his service is the Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy.

The Navy Medal of Honor had been authorized during the Civil War and became the highest military decoration available to enlisted sailors and Marines for extraordinary gallantry and distinguished conduct.

The early Navy Medal of Honor featured the distinctive five-pointed star design associated with the original form of the award.

Because Young’s Medal of Honor action occurred in 1864 while he was serving in the United States Navy, the Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy is the correct version for his profile.

No verified device or clasp is associated with his Medal of Honor.

Young’s action rank was Coxswain.

This is the rank that should be used when describing the specific action for which he received the Medal of Honor.

Later in his naval career, Young reached the rank of Wardroom Steward.

This rank represented a different and more senior area of shipboard responsibility.

A Wardroom Steward was connected with the organization and support of the officers’ wardroom and required trust, experience, and reliability within the ship’s company.

For his hero profile, the correct Medal of Honor action rank remains Coxswain, while Wardroom Steward should be recorded separately as his highest confirmed rank.

Young’s combat specialization was clearly naval.

He served aboard a surface warship and earned the Medal of Honor during one of the major fleet battles of the Civil War.

His correct Combat Achievement Modifier is therefore Surface Naval.

The Battle of Mobile Bay had major strategic importance.

Mobile was one of the Confederacy’s most valuable Gulf ports and had remained an important route for supplies.

Union control of the bay would greatly reduce the Confederacy’s ability to use the area for naval operations and trade.

Farragut’s victory at Mobile Bay eliminated much of the Confederate naval threat in the region and strengthened the Union blockade.

The battle also became famous because of the dangerous minefield and the heavy fire from Confederate forts.

Union sailors had to continue moving forward even when the fleet faced severe risks.

Young’s bravery took place within this broader atmosphere of intense naval combat.

His service aboard USS Galena demonstrates the importance of teamwork during nineteenth-century naval battles.

A damaged ship such as USS Oneida could not simply be abandoned if assistance was possible.

Helping another vessel under fire required courage from every member of the assisting ship’s crew.

Young’s role in that effort placed him directly in harm’s way.

His Medal of Honor became the defining decoration of his military career.

Young’s medal history also requires careful application of the client’s current Civil War medal rules.

Because Edward B. Young served in the United States Navy, the Army Civil War Campaign Medal does not apply to him.

The Navy and Marine Corps had their own separate Civil War Medal, authorized in 1908.

However, under the client’s rule, that Navy Civil War Medal should only be included for veterans who can be verified as having survived into 1909.

Edward B. Young died on February 24, 1867.

Because he died decades before the Navy Civil War Medal was authorized, that decoration should not be included in his final medal record.

This means his final confirmed medal history contains only the Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy.

The Navy Civil War Medal is not applicable under the client’s rule, and the Army Civil War Campaign Medal is not applicable because he was a Navy sailor.

Young’s short life after the Civil War makes this distinction especially important.

Although his wartime service was fully qualifying in historical terms, he did not live into the period when the later Navy Civil War Medal existed.

His Medal of Honor therefore remains the sole confirmed decoration in his final profile.

The importance of that medal is considerable.

It recognizes not general service, but a specific act of courage during one of the most decisive naval battles of the Civil War.

Young’s service as a Coxswain and his later advancement to Wardroom Steward show that he possessed the experience and reliability valued aboard a naval vessel.

His record also reflects the importance of enlisted sailors in fleet operations.

Officers directed the battle, but the success of a warship depended on the sailors who handled equipment, boats, lines, guns, and damaged vessels under fire.

Edward B. Young was one of those sailors.

At Mobile Bay, his conduct during the assistance of USS Oneida stood out strongly enough to earn the highest military decoration available.

The Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy permanently connected his name with USS Galena and the Battle of Mobile Bay.

For his final hero profile, the central facts are clear.

His full name was Edward B. Young.

His branch was the United States Navy.

His Medal of Honor action rank was Coxswain.

His highest confirmed rank was Wardroom Steward.

His combat specialization was Surface Naval.

His defining action occurred on August 5, 1864, during the Battle of Mobile Bay.

His final confirmed decoration was the Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy, with no verified device or clasp.

The Navy Civil War Medal should not be included because Young died in 1867 and did not survive into the period required by the client’s database rule.

Edward B. Young should ultimately be remembered as a United States Navy Coxswain who performed his duties with exceptional courage during one of the most important naval battles of the American Civil War.

His bravery while USS Galena assisted the badly damaged USS Oneida under enemy fire earned him the Medal of Honor.

His later rank of Wardroom Steward reflects continued service and responsibility, but the defining symbol of his military career remains the Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy and the courage he displayed at Mobile Bay.