John Dempster

Under Fort Fisher’s Guns, He Never Left His Post

John Dempster was born in Scotland in 1839 and later entered the United States Navy, where he served during the American Civil War. By the closing stages of the conflict, he was a coxswain aboard USS New Ironsides, one of the Union Navy’s most formidable ironclad warships. His conduct during the repeated attacks on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, brought him the Medal of Honor.

USS New Ironsides had been built for heavy combat. Protected by iron armor and carrying a powerful battery, the vessel was designed to operate against fortified coastal positions and enemy warships. During the Civil War, it became an important part of Union naval operations along the Confederate coastline.

By late 1864, Fort Fisher had become one of the most strategically important Confederate strongholds still protecting access to a major port. The fort guarded the approaches to Wilmington, North Carolina, which remained an important destination for blockade runners bringing supplies into the Confederacy.

Union forces therefore launched a major combined Army and Navy operation against the position.

Dempster was serving aboard New Ironsides when the first large-scale bombardment began on December 24, 1864.

The Union fleet moved against Fort Fisher and opened an intense naval cannonade. New Ironsides operated as part of the ironclad force and engaged the Confederate defenses from close range. Heavy guns aboard the ship fired repeatedly against the fortifications while Confederate artillery answered from shore.

For sailors aboard the ironclad, the operation required sustained discipline under combat conditions. Gun crews had to continue loading and firing, officers and enlisted men had to maintain control of the ship, and every sailor had responsibilities that contributed to keeping the vessel effective during the bombardment.

Dempster performed his duties as coxswain throughout the engagement.

The December operation did not result in the immediate capture of Fort Fisher. Union ground forces withdrew, but the strategic importance of the position ensured that another assault would follow.

In January 1865, the fleet returned.

From January 13 through January 15, USS New Ironsides again took part in the bombardment of Fort Fisher. The ship moved into position with the other Union vessels and delivered sustained fire against Confederate guns and defensive works.

The conditions were demanding. Naval operations continued through difficult weather, ammunition had to be supplied, and the ironclads remained exposed near the Confederate defenses while supporting the soldiers preparing to attack from land.

Dempster again carried out his responsibilities during the prolonged engagement.

His Medal of Honor recognition did not rest on a single dramatic act such as capturing a flag or rescuing one individual. Instead, the official record recognized his highly meritorious conduct during the repeated engagements against Fort Fisher.

That distinction is important.

Naval warfare depended on crews continuing to perform their duties under extraordinary pressure. A heavily armed warship could remain effective only when sailors throughout the vessel maintained discipline despite enemy fire, noise, smoke, damage, fatigue, and the constant danger of artillery striking the ship.

Dempster’s conduct during the two Fort Fisher operations demonstrated that reliability under fire.

The second attack succeeded where the first had failed. On January 15, 1865, Union forces captured Fort Fisher. Its fall effectively closed Wilmington to Confederate blockade-running and removed one of the last major gateways through which overseas supplies could reach the Confederacy.

The victory came only months before the Civil War ended.

Dempster’s service during the bombardments was formally recognized later that year. Under General Order No. 59, dated June 22, 1865, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his conduct aboard USS New Ironsides during the attacks on Fort Fisher.

The award placed him among the sailors whose actions helped establish the early traditions of the Navy Medal of Honor. Congress had created the naval decoration during the Civil War, and many of its earliest recipients were recognized for courage, discipline, and exceptional performance during ship-to-ship engagements, coastal assaults, rescue operations, and attacks on fortified positions.

Dempster’s broader wartime service is also represented by the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal. The campaign medal recognizes qualifying naval service during the conflict, while his Medal of Honor commemorates his individual conduct aboard New Ironsides during the Fort Fisher operations.

Together, the decorations represent two levels of his wartime experience: service in the Union Navy during the Civil War and distinguished performance during one of the conflict’s most important late-war naval campaigns.

Little verified information survives about Dempster’s life after his naval service. His death date and burial place have not been firmly established, and no unsupported details should be added to his story.

What remains certain is the record created aboard USS New Ironsides.

During the bombardments of December 1864 and January 1865, John Dempster performed his duties under the guns of Fort Fisher while one of the largest naval operations of the Civil War unfolded around him.

His courage was not defined by a single spectacular moment.

It was defined by continuing to do his duty while the battle continued.

For that highly meritorious conduct, John Dempster received the Medal of Honor and secured his place in the history of the United States Navy.