Joseph Michael Lonsway

He Swam Through Enemy Fire to Capture a Ferry

He swam through enemy fire to retrieve a ferry boat, turning a dangerous river crossing into a successful Union attack. On October 16, 1864, Private Joseph Michael Lonsway of the 20th New York Volunteer Cavalry volunteered for an extraordinary mission at the Blackwater River near Murfree's Station, Virginia. With Confederate sharpshooters defending the opposite bank, he entered the water and recovered a ferry that enabled Union soldiers to cross the river and capture the enemy's fortifications. His remarkable courage eventually earned him the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration for valor.

Joseph Michael Lonsway was born in March 1844 in Clayton, Jefferson County, New York. He was the son of Michael Lonsway and Larose Amo Langevin Lonsway, whose family had emigrated from Quebec to the Thousand Islands region of northern New York. His parents belonged to the French-Canadian community that helped establish Clayton as a growing settlement along the St. Lawrence River.

During his childhood, Clayton was also known as French Creek, reflecting the influence of French-speaking settlers who had established homes, farms, and businesses in the surrounding area. The community maintained strong cultural and religious traditions, and the Lonsway family was closely associated with St. Mary's Catholic Church, which was established during the early 1840s.

Joseph received limited formal education, but his upbringing provided him with practical skills that would later become central to his military achievement. He spent much of his early life working along the St. Lawrence River, gaining experience as a fishing guide, boatman, raftsman, and sailor.

The waterways around Clayton were essential to local transportation and commerce. Fishing boats, timber rafts, ferries, and other small vessels were familiar parts of everyday life. Working in this environment, Lonsway developed experience handling boats and moving through challenging river conditions.

He also became an accomplished swimmer. Although he could not have known it during his youth, the skills he developed on the St. Lawrence River would eventually help him perform an act of extraordinary bravery during the American Civil War.

When the Civil War began in April 1861, the United States was divided by the secession of Southern states following years of political conflict over slavery and the authority of the federal government. President Abraham Lincoln called upon volunteers to defend the Union, and men from communities throughout New York responded by entering military service.

As the conflict continued, the Union Army expanded its cavalry forces to meet the growing demands of reconnaissance, transportation security, raiding operations, and mounted combat.

On October 12, 1863, Lonsway enlisted at Sackets Harbor, New York, for a three-year term of military service. He entered the Union Army as a Private in Company D of the 20th New York Volunteer Cavalry.

The regiment was commonly known as the McClellan Cavalry. Organized at Sackets Harbor during the summer and autumn of 1863, it drew recruits from several northern New York counties, including Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Onondaga, and Albany.

Under Colonel Newton B. Lord and later Colonel David M. Evans, the regiment became part of the Union military forces operating in Virginia and North Carolina. Its primary assignments included protecting important Federal positions, conducting reconnaissance, securing transportation routes, and supporting military operations against Confederate forces.

Cavalry service required considerable versatility. Although mounted soldiers were trained to move rapidly across large areas, they frequently fought dismounted, using their carbines and other weapons to engage enemy infantry or defend strategic positions.

The 20th New York Cavalry performed extensive duty around Portsmouth, Virginia, where Union forces maintained important defensive positions. The region's rivers, wetlands, roads, and transportation connections made cavalry operations particularly demanding.

During 1864, the regiment participated in expeditions and engagements around Suffolk, Chuckatuck, South Quay, and other locations in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

These operations formed part of the Union effort to disrupt Confederate communications, gather intelligence, protect Federal-held territory, and interfere with the transportation of supplies.

By October 1864, Lonsway had been serving in the cavalry for approximately one year. His most important military action occurred during an expedition toward Murfree's Station, Virginia, and the nearby Blackwater River.

The Blackwater River presented a significant geographical obstacle to military movements. Its banks, surrounding swamps, and limited crossing points made it difficult for mounted troops to advance without access to bridges or boats.

Confederate forces understood the strategic value of these crossings and defended important river approaches with rifle pits and other field fortifications.

On October 15, 1864, Captain Carroll organized a Union expedition from Bernard's Mills. His command included detachments from Companies D, I, and K of the 20th New York Cavalry, supported by a section of the 8th New York Independent Battery under Lieutenant Ladd.

The expedition was intended to investigate Confederate movements around the Blackwater and disrupt transportation facilities that could be used by enemy troops.

After assembling at Bernard's Mills, the Union soldiers began moving toward South Quay late that evening. They traveled through the night, stopping briefly before continuing toward the river.

At approximately sunrise on October 16, the expedition reached the Blackwater River.

As the cavalry approached the swampy ground, soldiers dismounted and advanced toward the river as skirmishers. Their movement immediately drew Confederate rifle fire from defensive positions on the opposite bank.

The enemy had established rifle pits overlooking the crossing. These positions allowed Confederate soldiers to fire upon Union troops approaching the water.

The Union commander faced a serious tactical problem. His soldiers needed to cross the river to attack the Confederate fortifications, but the large flatboat normally used as a ferry was secured on the enemy-controlled bank.

Without the ferry, moving a substantial force across the river would be difficult. An attempted crossing without sufficient support would also expose Union soldiers to direct fire from the Confederate defenses.

The attacking force could not simply advance across the water, and the enemy's control of the ferry threatened to prevent the expedition from achieving its objectives.

The Union soldiers brought their artillery into position and reinforced the skirmish line. The battery opened fire while cavalrymen used their carbines to suppress the Confederate defenders.

It was at this critical moment that Private Joseph Michael Lonsway volunteered to undertake the dangerous task of retrieving the ferry.

Rather than remain behind the protection of the Union position, Lonsway entered the Blackwater River and began swimming toward the opposite bank.

Confederate sharpshooters continued defending their positions, and the crossing placed him in an exposed and dangerous situation.

His familiarity with river conditions and small boats made him particularly suited to the task, but the presence of enemy fire transformed an already difficult undertaking into an extraordinary act of courage.

Under the covering fire of Union artillery and cavalry carbines, Lonsway successfully crossed the river and reached the ferry boat.

He then secured the boat and brought it safely back to the Union-controlled side.

His success immediately changed the tactical situation.

With the ferry available, the Union commander could transport soldiers across the water and launch an attack against the Confederate defenses.

A detachment of twenty-five men, the number the ferry could safely carry, crossed the Blackwater and charged the enemy's breastworks.

The assault succeeded. Confederate soldiers abandoned their defensive positions, allowing the Union troops to seize the fortifications and establish control of the crossing.

Lonsway's achievement had made the attack possible. By retrieving the ferry, he had removed the obstacle that prevented the Union soldiers from advancing against the enemy position.

The successful crossing was followed by additional mounted operations.

Once horses had been transported across the river, detachments from Companies D and K advanced toward Murfree's Station. Confederate cavalry appeared along the road, but the Union troops charged and drove them away.

The expedition continued toward the railroad facilities and nearby Confederate supply installations.

Union troops destroyed military stores, depot buildings, and transportation infrastructure. They also seized supplies and equipment that could otherwise have supported Confederate military operations.

Among the materials reported destroyed or captured were tobacco, cotton, food supplies, small arms, and other property associated with Confederate logistics.

The expedition returned to Bernard's Mills on October 17, having completed its military objectives.

The official report recorded five Union soldiers wounded during the operation, along with the loss of several horses.

The success of the expedition attracted attention from senior officers, particularly because of the determination demonstrated by the cavalrymen and the bravery of Private Lonsway.

On October 17, Lieutenant Colonel David M. Evans submitted a report describing the operation.

He specifically identified Lonsway's voluntary river crossing as an important part of the expedition's success.

The report also revealed that Lonsway had performed a similar act during an earlier raid, swimming across a river to recover a boat under dangerous conditions.

Although the exact date and circumstances of that earlier incident were not fully described, the reference established that the October 1864 crossing was not his first demonstration of this particular kind of courage.

The commanding officers recognized the significance of his actions.

On October 19, Brigadier General Israel Vogdes reviewed the expedition report and recommended that Lonsway receive special recognition for swimming across the river in the presence of enemy sharpshooters.

Brigadier General George F. Shepley, commanding the District of Eastern Virginia, endorsed the recommendation.

These contemporary military endorsements provided important documentary evidence of Lonsway's bravery and demonstrated that his achievement had been recognized by Union officers soon after the event.

Despite these recommendations, formal recognition through the Medal of Honor did not follow immediately.

Lonsway continued serving as a Private in Company D of the 20th New York Cavalry.

During the remaining months of the Civil War, the regiment maintained assignments in eastern Virginia. Elements of the unit supported the Union military operations around Petersburg and Richmond, while Company D was assigned to defensive duty at Fort Pocahontas.

The Confederate position in Virginia weakened significantly during the spring of 1865. Union offensives forced the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond, and General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

Although the principal Confederate army in Virginia had surrendered, Union troops remained on duty while military operations ended and Federal authorities began the transition to peacetime administration.

Lonsway continued his service until July 31, 1865, when he was honorably discharged with his regiment.

He returned to his hometown of Clayton, where he resumed civilian life after nearly two years in the Union Army.

On September 11, 1865, he married Mary LePage at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Clayton. Their marriage was performed by Father James Sherry, and the couple established their family in the community where Lonsway had grown up.

Joseph and Mary became the parents of nine children. Their family experienced the hardships common to nineteenth-century households, including the deaths of several children during infancy and early childhood.

Their surviving children and descendants continued the family's longstanding connections with Clayton and St. Mary's Church.

Lonsway's postwar life remained rooted in the community and the waterways of the Thousand Islands region. His experiences as a soldier became part of the local memory of the Civil War, although the extraordinary river crossing for which he had been recommended remained without its highest formal recognition for many years.

More than half a century after the action at the Blackwater River, that recognition finally arrived.

On March 7, 1917, Joseph Michael Lonsway was presented with the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary bravery at Murfree's Station, Virginia, on October 16, 1864.

The Medal of Honor had been established during the American Civil War to recognize exceptional military courage. By the time Lonsway received the decoration, it had become the nation's highest military award for valor.

His award recognized the willingness of an individual cavalryman to place himself in extreme danger to accomplish a mission upon which the success of his unit depended.

Although he had remained a Private throughout his military service, his courage demonstrated that extraordinary leadership and initiative were not limited to commissioned officers.

The official recognition also fulfilled the recommendation made by his commanding officers in October 1864, when they had identified his dangerous river crossing as deserving special honor.

The medal became an important part of his later life and brought renewed attention to his military service.

In November 1921, Lonsway traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the ceremonies honoring America's Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

The dedication took place on Armistice Day, November 11, marking the third anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting of the First World War.

The ceremony brought together military leaders, veterans, government officials, and representatives of Allied nations to honor those who had died in military service.

By this time, Lonsway was among the aging veterans whose memories connected the generation of the First World War with the soldiers who had fought to preserve the Union decades earlier.

During his visit, he received special recognition as a Medal of Honor recipient.

According to historical accounts of the event, General John J. Pershing approached Lonsway, warmly greeted him, and expressed admiration for his military service.

Pershing then helped arrange an introduction to President Warren G. Harding.

The President spoke with Lonsway about his military experiences and reportedly arranged reimbursement for his travel expenses after learning that the veteran had paid for the journey himself.

Local accounts also describe a memorable encounter involving Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, who had served as Supreme Allied Commander during the final months of the First World War.

After accidentally entering the wrong railroad car while preparing to return home, Lonsway found himself in Foch's private carriage.

The two men reportedly conversed in French, a language Lonsway had known since childhood through his family's French-Canadian heritage.

Foch recognized the veteran's distinguished service and helped ensure that he reached the correct train for his journey home.

The visit to Washington became one of the most memorable events of Lonsway's later years. It demonstrated the respect that Civil War veterans continued to receive and the enduring significance of the Medal of Honor.

After returning to Clayton, Lonsway remained active in community life.

In December 1921, he participated in a local theatrical performance organized by the Knights of Columbus, reflecting his continued involvement with the community and church that had been central to his life.

Joseph Michael Lonsway died on January 22, 1925, in Clayton, New York, at the age of eighty.

His funeral was held at St. Mary's Catholic Church, and he was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, where other members of his family were also laid to rest.

His death marked the passing of a soldier whose life had spanned the American Civil War, the industrial transformation of the United States, and the aftermath of the First World War.

The memory of his service remained important to his family and the Clayton community.

His Medal of Honor continued to be preserved by his descendants, providing a tangible connection to the courage he displayed during the Civil War.

In 2011, during commemorations marking the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, members of his family and community gathered to remember his distinguished military service.

A memorial honoring Lonsway was established in Clayton, and his grave continues to be marked in recognition of his Medal of Honor.

In 2024, a historical marker was dedicated at St. Mary's Cemetery, commemorating his extraordinary actions on October 16, 1864, and the part he played in the capture of Confederate fortifications along the Blackwater River.

Joseph Michael Lonsway's legacy remains closely associated with that dangerous river crossing.

As Confederate soldiers defended their rifle pits on the opposite bank, Lonsway volunteered for a mission that required him to leave the relative safety of his unit and swim through a contested crossing to recover a ferry.

His successful action enabled twenty-five Union soldiers to cross the river, charge the Confederate defenses, and secure the position.

The Medal of Honor awarded to Joseph Michael Lonsway stands as an enduring tribute to his remarkable bravery, determination, and devotion to duty.

His story demonstrates how the courage of a single soldier, supported by the skills developed during an ordinary working life, can change the course of a military operation. What began as a young boatman's experience on the St. Lawrence River became the foundation for an extraordinary act of wartime heroism that earned him a distinguished place in American military history.