Edward Barrett (Medal of Honor)

He hauled boiler fires away after a dangerous valve rupture.

Edward Barrett earned the Medal of Honor aboard USS Alaska at Callao Bay, Peru, on 14 September 1881. Serving as a fireman second class in the United States Navy, he acted during a dangerous failure in the ship's boiler machinery.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1855, Barrett entered naval service and was accredited to Pennsylvania for his award. His duties placed him in the engineering spaces that supplied the ship's steam power.

When the stop-valve chamber ruptured, Barrett hauled the fires from beneath the boiler. The official citation recognizes the courage with which he performed that task during the emergency.

His decoration commemorates a peacetime act of naval heroism rather than a battle action. The brief citation remains the central record of his recognized service, preserving the contribution of a sailor working below decks when machinery failure placed the vessel in danger.

Medal of Honor citation

On board the U.S.S. Alaska at Callao Bay, Peru, 14 September 1881. Following the rupture of the stop-valve chamber, Barrett courageously hauled the fires from under the boiler of that vessel.