Thomas English

He Signaled Through the Storm at Fort Fisher

Thomas English was born in New York City in 1819. An African American sailor in an era when racial discrimination shaped nearly every aspect of American life, he entered the United States Navy during the Civil War and built a record of service that eventually placed him aboard one of the Union Navy’s most formidable ironclad warships. By the final years of the conflict, English had attained the rating of Signal Quartermaster aboard USS New Ironsides.

USS New Ironsides was a heavily armored steam-powered warship designed to withstand the punishing fire of Confederate coastal defenses. During the Civil War, the vessel participated in sustained operations against fortified positions along the Southern coastline. English’s rating as Signal Quartermaster placed him in a position of considerable responsibility. Naval signaling was essential to maintaining communication among ships operating together in battle, particularly when smoke, distance, weather, and enemy fire made coordination difficult.

Late in 1864, English and New Ironsides were drawn into the campaign against Fort Fisher, North Carolina. The massive Confederate fortification guarded the approaches to Wilmington through the Cape Fear River. Wilmington had become one of the Confederacy’s most important remaining ports, allowing blockade runners to bring badly needed supplies through the Union naval blockade. Destroying Fort Fisher’s defensive power was therefore essential to shutting down the port.

On December 24, 1864, the Union fleet began a tremendous bombardment of Fort Fisher. New Ironsides took a prominent place in the attacking formation, leading the ironclad division close to shore. From that dangerous position, the ship opened its starboard battery against the Confederate defenses.

The bombardment continued through December 25. New Ironsides delivered sustained and accurately directed fire against the fort, causing explosions and fires and knocking Confederate guns out of action. English remained at his duties aboard the ironclad as the vessel operated close to heavily defended enemy positions.

Despite the enormous naval bombardment, the first attempt to capture Fort Fisher failed. Union troops withdrew, and the fleet temporarily ended the operation. The strategic importance of the fort, however, meant that the Union would return.

A second expedition arrived in January 1865. Once again New Ironsides moved into position against Fort Fisher, and once again English served aboard her as Signal Quartermaster.

On January 13, the ironclad steamed toward the Confederate defenses under enemy fire and resumed the bombardment. New Ironsides fought throughout the day and then took aboard fresh ammunition during the night despite severe weather. The operation continued on January 14 and reached its decisive stage on January 15.

As Union ground forces prepared their final assault, the Navy maintained intense fire against the fort. Confederate defenders emerged from protected bombproofs to resist the advancing troops, bringing the shore-facing defenses back into action. New Ironsides and the surrounding Union warships continued their bombardment until the Confederate artillery positions facing the land attack had been largely disabled.

English remained with the ship through these repeated operations. The Medal of Honor record associated with his service recognizes his participation aboard New Ironsides during both the December 1864 and January 1865 attacks. His award therefore commemorated sustained performance during a major naval campaign rather than a single isolated instant of action.

On January 15, 1865, Union forces finally captured Fort Fisher. The victory effectively closed Wilmington to blockade-running and removed one of the Confederacy’s last major gateways to foreign supplies. Wilmington itself fell soon afterward, and the loss added to the growing strategic pressure on the Confederacy during the final months of the war.

For his service during the Fort Fisher attacks, Thomas English received the Medal of Honor. The decoration was formally recognized under Navy General Order No. 59 on June 22, 1865.

The Medal of Honor was still a young award at the time. Congress had authorized the Navy Medal of Honor in 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War. During the conflict, it became the nation’s principal decoration for exceptional conduct by enlisted sailors and Marines. English’s award placed him among the African American servicemen whose courage and military service were officially recognized with the United States’ highest military decoration.

English’s broader Civil War service is also represented by the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal. This medal was established in 1908, many years after both the war and English’s death, to recognize qualifying naval service during the Civil War. It should therefore not be understood as a medal personally presented to him during his lifetime. Instead, it represents the wartime naval service that carried him from Union Navy duty to the decisive operations at Fort Fisher.

English continued serving in the Navy after the Civil War. His career did not end with the surrender of the Confederacy or with the Medal of Honor that recognized his wartime service. He later served aboard USS Piscataqua, a steam screw sloop assigned to the Asiatic Station.

Piscataqua operated far from the American coast, extending the Navy’s presence into Asian waters. English was therefore part of a generation of Civil War sailors whose careers continued into the expanding peacetime responsibilities of the postwar Navy.

On April 11, 1868, while serving aboard USS Piscataqua, Thomas English died at sea near Singapore. He was buried at sea, ending a naval career that had carried him from the American Civil War to distant service in the Pacific and Asian regions.

Thomas English’s legacy is closely tied to Fort Fisher and USS New Ironsides. As a Signal Quartermaster serving aboard a heavily engaged Union ironclad, he remained at his duties through two major attacks against one of the Confederacy’s strongest coastal defenses. His Medal of Honor preserved that service in the national record, while the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal represents the wider conflict in which he served. His story also stands as part of the larger history of African American sailors whose skill, discipline, and courage contributed directly to Union victory during the American Civil War.