Oloff Smith

Courage Under Fire at Mobile Bay

Oloff Smith (born c. 1833) was a Swedish-born United States Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient who distinguished himself during the American Civil War. Serving as a coxswain aboard the USS Richmond, he participated in several major Union naval operations along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River. His conduct during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, earned him the Medal of Honor, recognizing his courage and steadfast performance of duty while his ship faced Confederate artillery and warships.

Smith was born in Sweden around 1833. Details of his childhood, family, and early education have not been established in the surviving historical record. At some point, he emigrated to the United States and became associated with New York, the state to which his Medal of Honor was officially accredited. The exact circumstances of his immigration and entry into naval service remain undocumented.

By the opening years of the Civil War, Smith was serving in the United States Navy aboard the USS Richmond, a steam-powered sloop of war. The vessel operated with Union naval forces in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Mississippi River, participating in campaigns intended to blockade Confederate ports and secure important waterways.

Smith's military service is documented in the Navy Department's historical Medal of Honor register, which records his presence aboard the Richmond during numerous engagements before the Battle of Mobile Bay. These operations included fighting near Fort McRee at Pensacola, Florida, and an encounter with Confederate naval forces at the Head of Passes near the mouth of the Mississippi River.

At the Head of Passes in October 1861, Confederate vessels attacked Union ships maintaining the blockade of the river's entrance. The Confederate ram CSS Manassas struck the Richmond during the engagement, damaging the vessel. The Richmond survived the attack and continued its wartime service.

In April 1862, the Richmond participated in the Union naval campaign against New Orleans under Flag Officer David Glasgow Farragut. The operation required Union warships to pass Forts Jackson and St. Philip, two Confederate fortifications guarding the approaches to the city.

Smith was aboard the Richmond during the actions against these forts and during subsequent encounters with Confederate ironclads and gunboats below New Orleans. The Navy's historical record also places him aboard the vessel during the fighting against the Chalmette batteries and at the surrender of New Orleans.

Following the capture of New Orleans, Union naval operations extended farther up the Mississippi River. Vicksburg, Mississippi, remained an important Confederate defensive position, protected by artillery batteries overlooking the waterway.

The Richmond participated in attempts to pass the Vicksburg batteries, and Smith's official service record specifically identifies his presence during two such operations. These engagements exposed the vessel and its crew to fire from fortified positions along the river.

Smith also served aboard the Richmond during the operations against Port Hudson, Louisiana, another Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. In March 1863, Farragut's squadron attempted to pass the Confederate batteries at Port Hudson, where several Union vessels came under heavy artillery fire.

The Richmond sustained damage during the operation and was unable to complete its attempted passage. Smith's presence aboard the vessel during the Port Hudson campaign is independently documented in the Navy's historical Medal of Honor register.

By the summer of 1864, Smith had accumulated extensive wartime naval experience. The Navy Department's record stated that he had served as coxswain aboard the Richmond for twenty consecutive months. His rating was an enlisted naval position associated with the handling of boats and their crews, requiring practical seamanship and knowledge of naval procedures.

During 1864, the Richmond served with Farragut's West Gulf Blockading Squadron off Mobile, Alabama. Mobile Bay remained an important Confederate naval position, defended by coastal fortifications, gunboats, and the ironclad ram CSS Tennessee.

Farragut organized an operation to carry Union warships past the Confederate defenses and enter the bay. The attack was scheduled for August 5, 1864, with wooden warships operating alongside smaller vessels and supported by Union ironclads.

On the morning of August 5, the Richmond advanced into Mobile Bay as part of the attacking fleet. Commanded by Captain Thornton A. Jenkins, the vessel was paired with the gunboat USS Port Royal as the Union squadron approached the Confederate fortifications.

Fort Morgan opened fire on the approaching vessels, and the engagement quickly intensified. Confederate artillery and warships attacked the Union formation as it attempted to pass the defenses and enter the bay.

The opening stages of the battle were marked by confusion and severe danger. The Union ironclad USS Tecumseh struck a Confederate mine and sank, while the wooden warships maneuvered under fire from the coastal batteries.

The Richmond continued participating in the engagement despite damage sustained from enemy fire. Its crew faced the dangers of Confederate artillery while the fleet pressed forward against the defending vessels.

Throughout the battle, Smith remained at his assigned duties aboard the Richmond. Although the ship was damaged and members of its crew became casualties, he continued his work with the composure and courage later recognized in his Medal of Honor citation.

The fighting lasted approximately two hours and culminated in the surrender of the Confederate ironclad CSS Tennessee. Union forces also damaged Confederate defensive positions around Fort Morgan and secured control of the bay's principal naval approaches.

Smith's conduct during this engagement attracted official recognition. Rather than identifying a single dramatic maneuver or an individual enemy vessel captured by him, the Navy's award record emphasized his sustained performance under fire and his ability to carry out his responsibilities during the battle.

On December 31, 1864, the Navy Department issued General Order No. 45, recognizing Smith's actions with the Medal of Honor. The decoration acknowledged his service aboard the Richmond during the Battle of Mobile Bay and his conduct throughout the engagement.

The award record also preserved details of his earlier wartime service, identifying his participation in operations at Pensacola, New Orleans, Vicksburg, and Port Hudson. These records establish that Smith's recognized conduct at Mobile Bay followed years of documented service aboard a Union warship engaged in major naval campaigns.

The surviving historical record provides little information about Smith's life after the Civil War. His subsequent employment, family circumstances, date of death, and burial location have not been reliably established.

Oloff Smith's documented military career remains closely associated with the USS Richmond and the Union Navy's operations along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River. His Medal of Honor commemorates his courage during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, when he continued performing his duties aboard a damaged warship under Confederate fire. The Navy's official records preserve both that achievement and his participation in the earlier naval campaigns that preceded it.