Matthew McClelland

Into the Scalding Steam at Port Hudson

Matthew McClelland (c. 1832–January 30, 1883) was a United States Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient who distinguished himself during the American Civil War. Serving as a first-class fireman aboard the USS Richmond, he displayed exceptional courage during the Union naval attack on Port Hudson, Louisiana, on March 14, 1863. When Confederate artillery damaged the ship's steam machinery and filled its fireroom with scalding vapor, McClelland repeatedly entered the dangerous compartment to help extinguish the furnace fires and prevent a potentially catastrophic accident.

McClelland was born in the early 1830s. Historical accounts identify Ireland as his place of birth, although some official Medal of Honor records list Brooklyn, New York. Details of his early childhood remain limited, but he was associated with Brooklyn before entering naval service. He had joined the United States Navy by the late 1850s and continued serving during the Civil War.

Following the outbreak of the conflict in 1861, McClelland served aboard the USS Richmond, a wooden steam-powered warship assigned to Union naval operations. He held the rating of first-class fireman, a position responsible for maintaining the fires that generated steam for the vessel's propulsion machinery. The work required sustained physical labor in the ship's machinery spaces, where extreme heat and demanding conditions were part of everyday service.

The Richmond became part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron under Flag Officer David Glasgow Farragut. During 1862, the squadron participated in operations to secure control of the lower Mississippi River. Union victories at New Orleans and Baton Rouge brought much of the southern river under federal control, but Confederate forces continued to defend important positions farther upstream.

By early 1863, Port Hudson, Louisiana, remained a major Confederate stronghold overlooking the Mississippi River. Its elevated artillery batteries threatened Union vessels attempting to pass the position. Farragut planned a naval operation to move warships beyond the batteries and strengthen the Union campaign for control of the river.

On the night of March 14, 1863, Farragut's squadron attempted to pass Port Hudson. The USS Richmond was among the vessels advancing upriver against the Confederate defenses. As the ships approached the fortified position, Confederate artillery opened fire, subjecting the Union vessels to a sustained bombardment.

During the engagement, a six-inch solid projectile struck the Richmond, shattering its starboard safety-valve chamber and damaging the port safety valve. The impact caused steam to escape into the vessel's machinery spaces, rapidly filling the fireroom and creating an extremely dangerous situation.

The damaged steam system threatened the safety of the ship and its crew. Unless the furnace fires could be removed and the pressure reduced, the vessel faced the possibility of further serious damage. The intense heat and escaping steam made entering the compartment exceptionally hazardous.

McClelland responded immediately to the emergency. Despite the danger of severe burns and suffocation, he entered the steam-filled fireroom and worked to haul the burning fuel from the furnaces. The task required him to remain close to the intense heat while attempting to reduce the steam being generated by the damaged machinery.

Three fellow firemen—John S. Hickman, John Rush, and Joseph E. Vantine—also participated in the emergency operation. The men used wet cloths to help shield themselves from the heat and steam as they worked. Conditions inside the compartment were so severe that they were repeatedly overcome by exhaustion and had to relieve one another before returning to continue the effort.

McClelland persisted in his work until the immediate danger had diminished. The combined efforts of the four firemen brought the emergency under control and helped prevent further damage to the Richmond. Although the vessel could not complete its attempted passage beyond Port Hudson and was forced to withdraw, it survived the engagement.

The courage displayed by McClelland and his fellow firemen received formal recognition through Navy General Order No. 17, dated July 10, 1863. All four men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions aboard the Richmond.

McClelland's official citation specifically recognized his determination to enter the steam-filled fireroom and remove the burning fuel from the furnaces despite the extreme danger. His award reflected an act of naval gallantry performed while protecting his vessel and fellow sailors during an enemy attack.

McClelland continued his naval service following the engagement at Port Hudson. The Richmond remained active in Union operations along the Gulf Coast and participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864. McClelland's service aboard the vessel extended into that period, before he completed his naval enlistment in September 1864.

After leaving the Navy, McClelland settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he entered civilian employment as a firefighter. His postwar occupation continued his association with dangerous work involving fire, although in a different capacity from his responsibilities aboard a steam-powered warship.

In 1867, McClelland married Elizabeth Baxter in Philadelphia. The couple had four children, three daughters and a son. Census and cemetery records preserve details of his family life, including the presence of his mother, Martha McClelland, in the household during his later years. The 1880 United States census recorded his occupation as a bell ringer.

McClelland maintained connections with veterans' and community organizations in Philadelphia. His associations included the Grand Army of the Republic, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Sons of Temperance, whose members were acknowledged in the arrangements following his death.

Matthew McClelland died in Philadelphia on January 30, 1883, at approximately fifty years of age. His death followed closely after that of his mother, who had died earlier the same month.

His remains were initially placed in a temporary vault at Lafayette Cemetery before being transferred to Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia in February 1883. Cemetery records identify his burial location in Section 104, Lot 26, in the northwest quarter of the lot.

The location of his grave later became the subject of a historical correction. In 2006, a Medal of Honor grave marker was mistakenly installed at Rosedale Cemetery in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, because his remains were believed to have been transferred there during an earlier cemetery relocation. In 2015, volunteers researching Mount Moriah Cemetery records identified his actual burial location and established that the earlier memorial had been placed in the wrong cemetery.

McClelland's documented military distinction remains his conduct aboard the USS Richmond during the attack on Port Hudson on March 14, 1863. His Medal of Honor records the courage of a Navy fireman who repeatedly entered a steam-filled compartment under dangerous conditions to help protect his ship from further damage during one of the Union Navy's operations on the Mississippi River.