John McGowan

Remained steadfast at the wheel as his ship was rammed.

John McGowan was born in Ireland in 1831. By the time of the American Civil War, he had entered the United States Navy and was serving as a quartermaster aboard USS Varuna. His duties placed him at one of the most important positions aboard a warship: the wheel. In combat, maintaining control of the vessel could be as critical as firing its guns, and McGowan’s ability to remain at his station would eventually earn him the Medal of Honor.

USS Varuna was a steam-powered gunboat assigned to the Union naval forces operating against Confederate defenses along the lower Mississippi River. In the spring of 1862, she became part of Flag Officer David G. Farragut’s fleet assembled for an ambitious operation against New Orleans.

The Confederate city was protected from the south by Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip, powerful defensive works positioned along the Mississippi River. Confederate naval forces, obstructions, and other defenses strengthened the approaches. To capture New Orleans, Farragut’s ships would have to force their way past these positions under fire.

During the early hours of April 24, 1862, the Union fleet began its passage.

USS Varuna moved upriver with the attacking force as Confederate artillery opened fire. The darkness, smoke, river current, gunfire, and movement of numerous vessels created difficult conditions for every sailor aboard. McGowan’s station at the wheel required him to keep Varuna under control while the ship maneuvered through the battle.

His position was also dangerously exposed.

As the engagement intensified, enemy fire swept across the deck behind him. McGowan nevertheless remained at the wheel and continued steering the vessel through the heaviest phase of the action.

Varuna soon became involved in an even more violent struggle.

After passing the forts, the Union gunboat encountered Confederate vessels attempting to stop the Federal advance. The Confederate gunboat Governor Moore attacked Varuna at close range. During the fight, Governor Moore rammed the Union vessel, then struck her again as the engagement continued.

Varuna was badly damaged, but the battle was not over.

Another Confederate vessel, Stonewall Jackson, entered the attack and also rammed Varuna. The Union gunboat had now suffered repeated collisions as well as enemy gunfire, and water began pouring into the damaged hull.

Through these attacks, McGowan continued performing his duty at the wheel.

His Medal of Honor citation later emphasized his conduct during the most dangerous portion of the battle. Enemy fire was sweeping the deck near his position, yet he remained steadfast and continued steering. His responsibility was straightforward but vital: as long as Varuna remained capable of fighting and maneuvering, someone had to keep control of her course.

The ship’s crew continued firing even as the damage became increasingly severe. Varuna fought until rising water finally made continued operation of her guns impossible. The vessel was then run toward the riverbank, where she sank after one of the most dramatic individual ship actions of the campaign.

Although Varuna was lost, the wider Union operation succeeded.

Farragut’s fleet forced its way past Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip and continued toward New Orleans. With the Confederate defenses below the city bypassed and their supporting naval forces defeated or scattered, New Orleans became untenable. The fall of the city gave the Union control of the Confederacy’s largest city and one of its most important ports.

McGowan’s contribution to that victory came not from commanding a ship or leading a boarding party, but from refusing to abandon a critical station when Varuna was being battered by enemy fire and repeated ramming attacks.

His courage received formal recognition the following year.

On April 3, 1863, John McGowan was awarded the Medal of Honor under Navy General Order No. 11 for his conduct aboard USS Varuna during the action of April 24, 1862.

The Medal of Honor was still a new decoration. Congress had authorized the Navy Medal of Honor in 1861 to recognize enlisted sailors and Marines who distinguished themselves through extraordinary conduct in battle. During the Civil War, it became the nation’s foremost military decoration for naval valor.

McGowan’s award reflected a form of courage fundamental to naval warfare: remaining at an assigned station despite the destruction taking place around him. A warship depended upon hundreds of individual duties being performed correctly under the worst possible conditions. Guns required ammunition, engines required crews, damaged sections required emergency attention, and the ship itself required sailors capable of maintaining direction and control.

McGowan’s responsibility was the wheel.

He remained there while enemy fire swept the deck and while Confederate vessels struck Varuna with their rams. His steadfast performance helped keep the gunboat under control during the intense fighting that preceded her loss.

His Civil War service was also later represented by the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal, a decoration established to recognize qualifying naval service during the conflict. While that campaign medal commemorated his broader service in the Union Navy, the Medal of Honor preserved the particular moment aboard Varuna that distinguished him from the thousands of sailors who fought during the war.

The later details of John McGowan’s life are not well preserved in the surviving authoritative record. His death and burial have not been securely established, and it would be misleading to fill those gaps with speculation.

What remains certain is the event that placed his name in American naval history.

On April 24, 1862, USS Varuna was under heavy fire, struck repeatedly by Confederate vessels, and ultimately doomed. Through that violent struggle, Quartermaster John McGowan stayed at the wheel and continued steering.

His ship was lost, but his courage was not forgotten. The Medal of Honor ensured that the sailor who held his station while Varuna was being battered into the riverbank would remain part of the story of the Union Navy’s victory on the Mississippi.