James Saunders

James Saunders was born in 1809 in Massachusetts, United States. The surviving military record provides only limited information about his early civilian life, family, and occupation before entering naval service. What is firmly established is that he became associated with Boston, Massachusetts, the place to which his Medal of Honor service was officially accredited, and entered the United States Navy. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records his action-time rating as Quartermaster and his highest verified rating as Chief Quartermaster. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Saunders belonged to the generation of American sailors whose careers were transformed by the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. The rapidly expanding Union Navy needed experienced enlisted sailors to crew its warships, enforce the blockade of the Confederate coastline, protect American commerce, and hunt Confederate cruisers operating far beyond American waters. By June 1864 Saunders was serving aboard USS Kearsarge, a steam-powered sloop-of-war that had been commissioned at Portsmouth Navy Yard in January 1862. Kearsarge had spent much of the Civil War operating in European waters, where one of its most important missions was pursuing Confederate commerce raiders. The most dangerous and celebrated of these was CSS Alabama, commanded by Captain Raphael Semmes. Alabama had spent nearly two years attacking United States merchant shipping across the world’s oceans. Naval History and Heritage Command Saunders served as a Quartermaster. In the nineteenth-century Navy, this was a skilled enlisted shipboard rating rather than the modern Army-style supply position suggested by the word “quartermaster.” His duties were associated with the operation and navigation of the vessel, watchstanding, observation, and the transmission of important information. During combat these responsibilities demanded constant attention because accurate reports about the ship, the enemy, damage, movement, and changing conditions could directly affect the commanding officer’s decisions. The defining event of Saunders’s naval career began in June 1864 when CSS Alabama entered Cherbourg, France, badly in need of repairs. USS Kearsarge, commanded by Captain John A. Winslow, arrived off Cherbourg on June 14 and began watching the harbor. Rather than remain indefinitely trapped, Captain Semmes decided to bring Alabama out and fight. Naval History and Heritage Command On the morning of June 19, 1864, Alabama steamed out of Cherbourg. Kearsarge deliberately moved the engagement beyond French territorial waters before turning to face the Confederate cruiser. Spectators gathered along the French coast to watch what would become one of the most famous single-ship naval engagements of the Civil War. The two warships were reasonably well matched, but Kearsarge possessed important advantages. Her ammunition was in better condition, her heavy guns were effective, and portions of her hull had been protected by chain cable arranged along vulnerable areas. Alabama opened fire first. Kearsarge waited until the distance had closed before answering. The ships then maneuvered in broad circular courses while each attempted to obtain a favorable firing position. Naval History and Heritage Command Quartermaster James Saunders remained at his station throughout the engagement. His Medal of Honor citation does not describe him as a gun captain who personally fired the shot that sank Alabama. Instead, his distinction came from the disciplined performance of his assigned duties under combat conditions. Saunders was prompt in reporting the damage being inflicted upon both Kearsarge and Alabama, continuing his responsibilities throughout the bitter fight. His conduct went beyond technical efficiency. Captain Winslow specifically praised Saunders for both his gallantry and the encouragement he gave to the other sailors in his division. In the confusion, noise, smoke, and danger of a naval battle, maintaining morale and discipline could be just as important as the physical operation of weapons. Saunders continued to perform calmly while the two vessels exchanged heavy fire. Congressional Medal of Honor Society The engagement lasted roughly an hour. Kearsarge’s fire progressively damaged Alabama until the Confederate ship could no longer continue. A shell struck Alabama near the waterline, contributing to flooding that rapidly became uncontrollable. Captain Semmes eventually struck his colors and sought assistance for his crew. CSS Alabama sank off Cherbourg. Kearsarge immediately began rescuing Confederate sailors from the water. The Union ship recovered many survivors, while the British yacht Deerhound picked up Semmes and several others and carried them to England. The destruction of Alabama ended the career of the Confederacy’s most famous commerce raider and became one of the Union Navy’s most celebrated victories. Naval History and Heritage Command For James Saunders, the Battle of Cherbourg became the defining military action of his life. The Medal of Honor For his conduct aboard USS Kearsarge on June 19, 1864, Saunders received the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration of the United States. The Navy Medal of Honor had been created during the opening period of the Civil War. Congress authorized the naval award in 1861, before the Army version followed in 1862. During the Civil War there was no extensive hierarchy of American personal valor decorations comparable to the later Navy Cross, Silver Star, or Bronze Star Medal. The Medal of Honor therefore served as the principal national decoration for exceptional conduct by sailors and Marines. Saunders’s award was officially recognized under: General Orders No. 45 — December 31, 1864 His heroic action had occurred: June 19, 1864 — off Cherbourg, France The Navy’s historical Medal of Honor record specifically identifies him as Quartermaster, USS Kearsarge, and commends his gallantry and his encouragement of the sailors around him. Ibiblio For the VictoriaCross.ca database, his verified award is correctly represented as: Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy — 1864 — No device or clasp No star, clasp, bar, or other ribbon attachment has been verified for Saunders’s Medal of Honor. He was a single Medal of Honor recipient, so the ribbon remains plain. Saunders was also one of a remarkable group of Kearsarge sailors recognized for the same engagement. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records 17 members of the Kearsarge crew who ultimately received Medals of Honor connected with the destruction of CSS Alabama. Saunders’s citation was distinctive because it emphasized not only personal gallantry but his continued reporting of damage and his ability to encourage other sailors during the battle. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Quartermaster and Chief Quartermaster Saunders’s rank history also requires an important distinction. At the Battle of Cherbourg and in his Medal of Honor citation, he was: Quartermaster The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records his highest verified rating as: Chief Quartermaster For that reason, the database correctly uses Chief Quartermaster as his highest rank, even though the available insignia system does not contain a matching historical insignia. His Medal of Honor narrative, however, must continue to identify him as Quartermaster James Saunders, because that was his rating during the June 19, 1864 action. Congressional Medal of Honor Society The distinction is historically important. Database rank represents the highest verified grade, while the Medal of Honor action preserves the exact rating held when the valor occurred. Navy Civil War Campaign Medal The Navy Civil War Campaign Medal has not been added to Saunders’s verified ribbon rack. This later campaign medal was created many decades after the Civil War. Saunders certainly performed qualifying Civil War naval service, but the project requires more than general eligibility. A campaign medal must be supported by recipient-specific entitlement evidence rather than inferred simply because the person served during the qualifying conflict. There is an additional problem in Saunders’s case: authoritative Medal of Honor records do not provide a verified date of death. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society lists his birth in 1809 but leaves his death information blank. Consequently, it cannot currently be demonstrated that Saunders remained alive when the Navy’s Civil War campaign medal system was introduced in the early twentieth century. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Under the project’s zero-assumption rule, this means the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal remains HOLD / DO NOT ADD. Eligibility cannot be treated as entitlement without sufficient recipient-specific evidence. Pasted text Therefore Saunders’s final verified ribbon history remains: Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy — 1864 — No device or clasp Later Life Unfortunately, considerably less is securely documented about James Saunders after his naval service than about his Medal of Honor action. The strongest institutional records confirm his Massachusetts birth, Boston accreditation, service aboard USS Kearsarge, Quartermaster rating during the Battle of Cherbourg, later highest rating of Chief Quartermaster, and Medal of Honor. They do not currently establish a reliable date or place of death, burial location, or a sufficiently documented postwar civilian career. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Those gaps should remain gaps rather than being filled with speculation. Accordingly, no exact death date, cemetery, family history, or postwar profession should be added to his final biography unless stronger archival documentation is found later. What survives in unquestionable clarity is Saunders’s military legacy. On June 19, 1864, Quartermaster James Saunders stood at his station aboard USS Kearsarge as the Union warship fought CSS Alabama off the French coast. During approximately an hour of intense surface naval combat, he continued carrying out his responsibilities, quickly communicated information about damage to both vessels, displayed gallantry, and helped sustain the morale of the sailors around him. Kearsarge ultimately destroyed Alabama, ending the career of one of the Confederacy’s most damaging commerce raiders. The United States formally recognized Saunders later that year under General Orders No. 45, making him one of the Medal of Honor recipients whose service is permanently associated with the Battle of Cherbourg. His final verified profile therefore reads: Full Name: James Saunders Branch: United States Navy Rank at Medal of Honor Action: Quartermaster Highest Verified Rank: Chief Quartermaster Ship: USS Kearsarge Defining Action: Battle of Cherbourg — June 19, 1864 Verified Decoration: Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy — 1864 — No device or clasp James Saunders’s surviving record does not require embellishment. His place in naval history rests on a documented act of professional courage: he remained effective at his post during one of the Civil War’s most famous ship-to-ship engagements, helped keep his division informed and steady under fire, and contributed to the Union victory that sent CSS Alabama to the bottom of the English Channel.