Luke M. Griswold

Braved a gale in a small boat to save Monitor’s sinking crew!

Luke M. Griswold (1837–1892) was an American naval sailor and Medal of Honor recipient whose courage during the sinking of the USS Monitor became the defining event of his military service. An ordinary seaman aboard the USS Rhode Island during the American Civil War, Griswold participated in a dangerous rescue operation off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on the night of December 30, 1862. After helping rescue several sailors from the sinking ironclad, he and his fellow rescuers became separated from their ship in a violent gale and spent hours drifting in the Atlantic Ocean before reaching safety.

Griswold was born in Massachusetts in 1837 and was associated with Springfield, Massachusetts, where his Medal of Honor was later accredited. Although surviving records provide limited information about his childhood and early civilian life, his documented naval service places him aboard the USS Rhode Island during one of the American Civil War's most notable maritime disasters.

By December 1862, the USS Rhode Island was serving as a Union Navy steamship engaged in supporting naval operations along the Atlantic coast. Among its assignments was towing the USS Monitor, the revolutionary ironclad warship that had fought the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia during the Battle of Hampton Roads in March 1862.

On December 29, 1862, the Rhode Island departed Hampton Roads, Virginia, towing the Monitor toward North Carolina. As the vessels approached Cape Hatteras, increasingly severe weather created dangerous conditions. The Monitor, designed primarily for operations in comparatively sheltered waters, struggled in the heavy Atlantic seas. Waves swept across its low deck, and water began entering the vessel, threatening its engines and pumps.

By the evening of December 30, the situation aboard the Monitor had become critical. Despite efforts to control the flooding, the crew could no longer prevent the ship from sinking. A distress signal was raised, and the Rhode Island prepared its boats to evacuate the endangered sailors.

Ordinary Seaman Griswold was among the men who participated in the rescue operation. Serving in a cutter dispatched from the Rhode Island, he helped bring several members of the Monitor's crew to safety. The rescue required the small boat to operate in heavy seas near the sinking ironclad, where powerful waves and poor visibility made movement between the vessels especially hazardous.

The rescuers continued their efforts as conditions deteriorated. During the operation, Griswold and the other members of his cutter became separated from the Rhode Island. The gale prevented them from returning to their ship, leaving the sailors exposed to the weather in a small open boat.

With the Rhode Island no longer in sight, the men faced the danger of remaining adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. They spent many hours struggling through the heavy seas, unable to reach their vessel. Their ordeal finally ended when a passing schooner discovered and rescued them approximately fifty miles east of Cape Hatteras.

Meanwhile, the USS Monitor sank during the early hours of December 31, 1862. Sixteen members of its crew perished, while forty-seven survived the disaster. Griswold's cutter had contributed to the rescue effort before becoming separated from the Rhode Island.

His actions were subsequently recognized through the award of the Medal of Honor. General Order No. 59, dated June 22, 1865, recorded his recognition for gallantry during the rescue of the Monitor's crew. The official account specifically acknowledged his participation in saving sailors from the sinking vessel and the prolonged ordeal endured by his boat's crew after becoming separated in the gale.

The decoration recognized an act of maritime courage rather than gallantry in direct combat. Griswold's service demonstrated the dangers faced by naval personnel during rescue operations, particularly when severe weather threatened both the endangered sailors and those attempting to save them.

The original Medal of Honor awarded to Griswold has survived and is preserved in the collection of the United States Naval History and Heritage Command. Its reverse identifies him as an ordinary seaman aboard the USS Rhode Island and commemorates his actions during the loss of the Monitor. The medal bears the date December 31, 1862, reflecting the overnight disaster, while his official citation identifies December 30 as the date of his action.

Comparatively little verified information survives concerning Griswold's later civilian life, occupation, or activities following his naval service. His documented military distinction remains associated with the rescue operation off Cape Hatteras.

Luke M. Griswold died on March 18, 1892, in Springfield, Massachusetts, at approximately fifty-four or fifty-five years of age. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Springfield.

For more than a century, his burial place lacked a gravestone identifying his military service and Medal of Honor. In 2013, efforts by military veteran J. Donald Morfe, with support from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, resulted in the installation of a marble grave marker. The marker was placed on April 30, 2013, and his service was publicly commemorated during the Memorial Day period that followed.

Griswold's documented place in American naval history rests upon his participation in the rescue of the USS Monitor's crew on December 30, 1862. His Medal of Honor and preserved original decoration provide lasting historical evidence of his courage during one of the Civil War's most significant naval disasters.