James Stoddard

He Stood by the Gun as Enemy Fire Tore It Apart

James Stoddard was born around 1838 in Port Robinson, Canada West, in what is now Ontario, Canada. Little reliable information survives about his early life, but by the early years of the American Civil War he had made his way to the United States and entered naval service. On September 21, 1863, he enlisted in the United States Navy at Detroit, Michigan, beginning the period of service that would bring him into one of the fierce riverine engagements of the war.

Stoddard served as a seaman aboard USS Marmora, a Union tinclad gunboat operating on the western rivers. Vessels such as Marmora played an important role in supporting Union armies, patrolling waterways, transporting men and supplies, and using their guns against Confederate forces along the riverbanks. By early 1864, Marmora was operating in the Yazoo River region of Mississippi, where Union troops remained under persistent Confederate pressure.

On March 5, 1864, fighting erupted near Yazoo City, Mississippi. Union forces ashore were heavily engaged, and a naval gun detachment from Marmora was sent to assist them. Stoddard went ashore with a crew handling a 12-pound howitzer mounted on a field carriage. The sailors brought the weapon directly into the battle and used it to reinforce the Union defense.

The position quickly came under intense Confederate rifle fire. Bullets struck and damaged both the gun carriage and the rammer, yet Stoddard and the other sailors remained with the weapon and continued fighting. Their determination helped prevent the gun from being silenced at a critical moment and contributed to the repulse of the Confederate attack. The struggle became extremely close, and Stoddard was wounded in the neck during the action. Despite the danger and his injury, his conduct at the gun became the defining act of his military career.

For his courage at Yazoo City, Stoddard received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration for valor. His citation specifically recognized his decision to stand by the howitzer despite the enemy rifle fire damaging its equipment and his contribution to turning back the attacking force. Two other Marmora sailors who served with the howitzer crew, Bartlett Laffey and William J. Franks, were also awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in the same engagement.

Recognition followed quickly. On April 14, 1864, Stoddard was promoted from seaman to Acting Master's Mate. The promotion reflected the distinction he had earned through his wartime service and marked a significant rise from his enlisted rating at the time of the Medal of Honor action. By January 1865, he was serving as an Acting Master's Mate aboard USS Choctaw, demonstrating that his naval career continued beyond the battle that had brought him national recognition.

Stoddard's verified wartime naval service also falls within the qualifying period represented by the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal. The decoration was established by the Navy Department in 1908 to recognize officers and enlisted personnel of the Navy and Marine Corps whose naval service took place during the Civil War between April 15, 1861, and April 9, 1865. Stoddard's service beginning in 1863, including his combat aboard Marmora and his later service as an Acting Master's Mate, placed his naval career squarely within that period. No engagement stars were authorized for the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal.

The surviving historical record provides far more detail about Stoddard's wartime courage than about his later personal life. What remains certain is the significance of his service on March 5, 1864. He went ashore as a seaman with a naval field gun, held his position while enemy fire tore into the gun's equipment, suffered a wound, and helped stop an attack threatening Union forces at Yazoo City.

His legacy was preserved not only through the Medal of Honor but also in the traditions of the United States Navy. During the Second World War, the Navy named the destroyer USS Stoddard in his honor, carrying the name of the Civil War sailor into another generation of American naval service. His story remains an example of the dangerous work performed by Civil War sailors far beyond the decks of their ships—a moment when a naval gun crew fought on land, under direct fire, and refused to abandon its weapon.