Joseph B. Hayden

He Steered Into Fire and Held the Battle Line

Joseph B. Hayden was born in 1834 in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. During the American Civil War, he served in the United States Navy as a Quartermaster aboard USS Ticonderoga, a steam sloop-of-war that took part in major Union operations along the Confederate coast.

As a Quartermaster, Hayden held an important navigation and steering responsibility. During combat, accurate handling of the ship could determine whether its guns could be brought effectively against enemy positions and whether the vessel remained properly aligned within the attacking formation.

His defining action came during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in January 1865.

Fort Fisher guarded the approaches to Wilmington, North Carolina, one of the Confederacy’s most important remaining ports. By the final winter of the war, Wilmington had become increasingly valuable because blockade runners continued using the port to bring supplies into the Confederacy.

Union forces therefore mounted a powerful combined Army and Navy operation to capture the fort.

From January 13 through January 15, 1865, USS Ticonderoga joined the massive naval bombardment directed against Fort Fisher and its surrounding defenses. Union warships formed battle lines offshore and poured sustained fire into Confederate batteries, while enemy artillery answered from the fort.

Hayden was responsible for steering Ticonderoga during the engagement.

Under his control, the ship was brought into position against the Confederate defenses near the left side of the fort’s palisades. From there, Ticonderoga could use her guns effectively against the shore batteries.

The task demanded constant attention.

Enemy shells were falling on and around the ship, and the vessel’s position had to be maintained while the gun crews continued firing. A steering error could disrupt the ship’s fire, interfere with other vessels in the line, or expose Ticonderoga unnecessarily to Confederate guns.

Hayden remained steady at his station.

His Medal of Honor recognition specifically emphasized his coolness and close attention to duty while steering the ship into action.

For three days, the naval bombardment continued as Union forces sought to weaken Fort Fisher’s defenses and support the troops attacking from land.

On January 15, Union soldiers and sailors launched the final assault.

Fort Fisher fell after intense fighting, closing one of the Confederacy’s last major gateways to the Atlantic. The victory helped isolate Wilmington and further tightened the Union blockade during the closing months of the Civil War.

For Hayden, those days off Fort Fisher became the defining episode of his naval service.

His conduct was formally recognized under General Order No. 59, dated June 22, 1865.

Joseph B. Hayden received the Medal of Honor for the courage, steadiness, and devotion to duty he demonstrated while steering USS Ticonderoga during the bombardment of Fort Fisher.

No clasp, star, or additional device accompanied his Medal of Honor.

His wider Civil War naval service also falls within the period later commemorated by the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal. That decoration was established after the war to recognize qualifying Navy and Marine Corps service during the conflict.

The Medal of Honor, however, commemorated a specific responsibility performed under direct enemy fire.

Hayden did not receive recognition for leading a boarding party or storming the fort on foot.

His courage was demonstrated at the helm.

While Confederate shells fell around USS Ticonderoga, he maintained the ship’s position and helped keep its guns effectively directed against the defenses ashore.

That responsibility was critical to the effectiveness of the entire vessel.

A warship’s weapons could only perform their mission if the ship itself was handled correctly. By keeping Ticonderoga properly positioned during the bombardment, Hayden helped ensure that the ship remained an effective part of the Union attack.

Reliable surviving records provide little detail about Hayden’s later life, and his death date and burial place remain uncertain.

What is securely preserved is the record of his service aboard USS Ticonderoga and his conduct during one of the most important naval operations of the final months of the Civil War.

At Fort Fisher, Joseph B. Hayden stayed at his steering station while enemy fire struck around the ship.

He kept Ticonderoga in the fight.

For his coolness and close attention to duty under fire, he received the Medal of Honor and earned a lasting place in the history of the United States Navy.