Edward S. Martin

When a Confederate shell disabled USS Oneida beneath the guns of Mobile Bay, escape depended upon the warship lashed beside her. At the wheel of USS Galena, Quartermaster Edward S. Martin remained at his station as enemy fire struck around him. With one ship damaged and the other pulling both vessels toward safety, Martin’s calm control helped prevent a battlefield disaster. His courage during those dangerous minutes earned him the Medal of Honor.

Quartermaster Edward S. Martin was born in Ireland in 1840. Details of his childhood and early life remain largely undocumented, but by the American Civil War he had entered the United States Navy. His Medal of Honor was accredited to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, suggesting that the city was associated with his enlistment or official service record.

The historical record preserves some uncertainty concerning his name. The Medal of Honor was issued under the name Edward S. Martin, while Department of Veterans Affairs records identify the man buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery as Edwin S. Martin. The VA specifically confirms that Edwin Martin’s decoration was awarded under the name Edward S. Martin, establishing that the records refer to the same sailor.

During the Civil War, Martin served aboard USS Galena, a Union steam warship assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. By August 1864, the Union Navy was preparing to force its way into Mobile Bay, one of the Confederacy’s last important ports on the Gulf of Mexico. Rear Admiral David G. Farragut ordered his wooden warships to enter the bay lashed together in pairs so that one vessel could assist the other if either became disabled. USS Galena was secured alongside USS Oneida, forming the final pair in the advancing column.

On the morning of 5 August 1864, the Union fleet advanced past Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines under heavy Confederate fire. USS Oneida was struck by a shell that exploded her starboard boiler and damaged her steering system. Suddenly unable to manoeuvre effectively, Oneida became dependent upon Galena to pull her through the engagement and beyond the range of the enemy forts.

Martin was stationed at the wheel of Galena during this critical passage. Despite the confusion, smoke and raking fire striking the paired vessels, he continued steering while Galena towed the disabled Oneida past Forts Morgan and Gaines. The original naval record praised Martin for displaying “coolness and great courage on that trying occasion.” The later official citation similarly recorded that he performed his duties with skill and courage throughout the action, even as Galena suffered damage from enemy fire.

The conduct of Martin and his shipmates allowed USS Galena to pull Oneida beyond the Confederate guns. The Union fleet successfully entered Mobile Bay, defeated the Confederate naval force and secured one of the most significant naval victories of the American Civil War. Martin’s heroism was formally recognised through Navy General Order No. 59, dated 22 June 1865. His Medal of Honor was not posthumous, meaning that he survived the war and received the nation’s highest military decoration during his lifetime.

Only limited information survives concerning Martin’s life after the Civil War. He died in Brooklyn, New York, on 23 December 1901 and was buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery, where the Department of Veterans Affairs records his resting place as Section 2, Site 5966. His grave remains an enduring memorial to an Irish-born Union sailor whose courage helped save two American warships under fire.

Martin’s Civil War naval service also fell within the qualifying period for the Navy Civil War Medal. That campaign medal was established through Navy Special Orders Nos. 81 and 82 on 27 June 1908, almost seven years after his death. It should therefore be understood as a retrospective service entitlement in a modern ribbon rack, not as a medal Martin personally wore during his lifetime. No engagement stars or additional devices were authorised for the Navy Civil War Medal.

Edward S. Martin’s story is not one of a dramatic charge or hand-to-hand combat. It is the story of a sailor who remained at the wheel when control of his ship meant survival for hundreds of men. Through discipline, courage and unwavering attention to duty, he helped carry USS Galena and the crippled USS Oneida through one of the fiercest naval battles of the Civil War.