Pierre Leon

Courage on the Yazoo River Under Confederate Fire

Pierre Leon was a United States Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient whose distinguished service during the American Civil War included riverine combat, serious injury, and extraordinary courage aboard USS Baron De Kalb. Serving as Captain of the Forecastle, Leon earned the Medal of Honor for his conduct during the Yazoo River Expedition in Mississippi from December 23 to 27, 1862. Throughout the operation, he performed his duties with bravery as his vessel engaged Confederate forces, destroyed enemy transportation equipment, and captured military supplies and prisoners.

Leon was born on August 23, 1838, in Nice, a Mediterranean city that was then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and is now in France. Historical records contain conflicting descriptions of his birthplace, including references to Italy and New Orleans, Louisiana. New Jersey biographical and family records identify Nice as his birthplace.

According to local historical accounts, Leon began his maritime life at an unusually young age. At approximately eleven years old, he stowed away aboard a vessel named Juniette, which was bound for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He reportedly remained aboard the vessel for several years before finding employment on other coastal steamers.

These early experiences introduced Leon to the practical demands of maritime work and preceded his later service in the United States Navy.

By 1860, Leon was living in Delanco, Burlington County, New Jersey. During this period, he became associated with the experimental submarine developed by French inventor Brutus de Villeroi.

The vessel, subsequently connected with the development of the submarine known as Alligator, underwent experimental work in New Jersey and Pennsylvania waterways. Leon participated in the project as an assistant engineer and crew member.

His association with the experimental submarine is supported by later sworn statements preserved in research based on his military pension records. Henry D. Kreiner, who knew Leon personally, recalled serving with him aboard a submarine at Delanco in 1860.

This involvement placed Leon among the men associated with early American submarine experimentation before the technology became an established part of naval warfare.

Following the outbreak of the American Civil War, Leon entered the United States Navy at Philadelphia on August 27, 1861. He initially enlisted aboard USS Princeton and was subsequently transferred to the Washington Navy Yard.

His wartime service eventually included assignments to several United States Navy vessels, among them USS St. Louis, USS Baron De Kalb, USS Black Hawk, USS Romeo, USS New Hampshire, USS Nantucket, and USS Nahant.

One of Leon's most important assignments was aboard the ironclad gunboat USS St. Louis, a City-class vessel built for operations on the western rivers.

The gunboat operated as part of the Union's campaign to gain control of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. During the early stages of the conflict, armored river gunboats provided artillery support, attacked Confederate fortifications, and assisted Union military operations along vital waterways.

In March 1862, while serving aboard St. Louis during operations against Confederate defenses at Island Number Ten on the Mississippi River, Leon sustained serious injuries when a gun burst.

His pension records describe injuries involving his right shoulder, left leg, and eyes. Later medical documentation identified lasting physical effects from the incident.

Despite these injuries, Leon continued his naval service.

On September 8, 1862, USS St. Louis was renamed USS Baron De Kalb. The change preceded the transfer of western river gunboats from War Department control to the Navy Department.

Leon remained associated with the vessel, and by December 1862 he was serving as Captain of the Forecastle.

Captain of the Forecastle was an enlisted naval rating rather than a commissioned officer's rank. The position carried responsibilities connected with the forward section of a ship and the supervision of sailors performing important seamanship duties.

In December 1862, Baron De Kalb participated in an expedition up the Yazoo River in Mississippi. Union naval forces were operating in support of the wider campaign against Confederate positions protecting Vicksburg, an important stronghold on the Mississippi River.

The Yazoo River provided an approach toward Confederate-controlled territory, but its channels, defensive positions, and enemy vessels presented significant obstacles to Union operations.

Between December 23 and 27, 1862, Baron De Kalb proceeded upriver under orders to capture or destroy Confederate transports and military equipment.

During the expedition, the gunboat encountered several Confederate steamers, including John Walsh, R. J. Locklan, Golden Age, and Scotland. These vessels had been sunk or obstructed on a river bar, and Union forces ordered them burned.

The destruction of these vessels formed part of the effort to prevent Confederate forces from using river transportation to move personnel, equipment, and supplies.

As Baron De Kalb continued its advance, Confederate forces opened fire on the Union gunboat.

The vessel returned fire, causing the opposing force to retreat. The engagement demonstrated the risks faced by sailors operating ironclad gunboats on narrow rivers where enemy positions could threaten vessels from the surrounding banks.

Leon served courageously throughout the expedition.

His official Medal of Honor citation specifically recognized his conduct as Captain of the Forecastle during the various actions involving Baron De Kalb. While the citation does not identify a particular gun or describe a separate individual maneuver performed by Leon, it confirms that his bravery and distinguished service were recognized throughout the operation.

During the return journey down the Yazoo River, Baron De Kalb continued disrupting Confederate operations. The gunboat destroyed or captured substantial quantities of enemy equipment and took several prisoners.

These activities contributed to the Union effort to weaken Confederate military transportation and supply arrangements along the river.

Leon remained at his assigned duties during the expedition and distinguished himself in the actions for which several members of Baron De Kalb's crew subsequently received the Medal of Honor.

Three other sailors from the vessel were recognized for their service during the same expedition: Ordinary Seaman Peter Cotton, Boatswain's Mate John McDonald, and Boatswain's Mate Charles Robinson.

The Navy formally recognized Leon's bravery under General Order No. 11, dated April 3, 1863.

His Medal of Honor was mailed to his commanding officer on May 26, 1863. Leon personally acknowledged receiving the decoration in a letter dated June 11, 1863, providing unusually specific documentary evidence of the award's delivery.

His recognition came during the Civil War itself, only months after his distinguished service on the Yazoo River.

On July 13, 1863, Baron De Kalb was destroyed after striking a Confederate underwater mine, then commonly called a torpedo, near Yazoo City, Mississippi.

The loss of the gunboat ended its wartime service, but Leon's naval career continued. Later service records identify assignments aboard additional Union vessels, including the gunboat USS Romeo and the ironclad monitor USS Nahant.

By November 1864, Leon was serving aboard Nahant as a seaman.

He remained in the Navy until August 1865, when he received an honorable discharge at Philadelphia, completing approximately four years of wartime naval service.

Following the Civil War, Leon settled in the Riverside area of Burlington County, New Jersey, where he spent the remainder of his life.

On January 18, 1866, he married Anna M. Mayer, also recorded in historical documents under the spelling Meier. Their marriage took place in New Jersey, and the couple subsequently raised a family.

Family and pension-related records identify several children, including Harry, Peter, George, Jacob, Mary, Edward, and Henrietta.

Leon returned to civilian employment and worked as a watchman for the Philadelphia Watch Case Company. Although his military service had ended, the injuries he received during the war continued to be documented in his pension-related medical records.

His postwar life was closely connected with the communities of Delanco and Riverside, where his naval service and Medal of Honor were preserved in local historical accounts.

Pierre Leon died on December 7, 1915, in Riverside, New Jersey, at the age of seventy-seven. He was buried at St. Peter's Cemetery in Riverside, Burlington County.

His life combined early