Walter B. Smith (Medal of Honor)

He Fired Into the Ironclad’s Gun Ports

Walter B. Smith was born in New York in 1827. The surviving record of his early life is limited, but during the American Civil War he served in the United States Navy as an Ordinary Seaman aboard U.S.S. Richmond, a steam sloop-of-war assigned to the Union’s naval operations in the Gulf of Mexico. By the summer of 1864, Richmond was serving with Rear Admiral David G. Farragut’s fleet as the Union Navy prepared for one of the most important naval operations of the war—the assault on Mobile Bay, Alabama.

Mobile Bay remained a major Confederate stronghold on the Gulf Coast. Its approaches were protected by Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, Confederate gunboats, the powerful ironclad ram Tennessee, and fields of underwater mines then commonly called torpedoes. Farragut’s objective was to force his fleet past the forts, defeat the Confederate naval force inside the bay, and close another important Southern port to Confederate use.

On the morning of August 5, 1864, the Union fleet moved toward the entrance to Mobile Bay. Richmond, commanded by Captain Thornton A. Jenkins, advanced paired with the gunboat Port Royal. As the ships approached Fort Morgan, Confederate artillery opened fire. The Union ironclad Tecumseh struck a torpedo and sank, but Farragut continued the attack, leading the surviving vessels through the dangerous approach and into the bay.

Smith was at his battle station on Richmond’s topgallant forecastle, serving a 100-pounder rifle. His Medal of Honor citation describes him as remaining cool and courageous throughout the prolonged engagement while performing outstanding service at the gun. His work placed him directly in the ship’s offensive effort as Richmond exchanged fire with the Confederate defenses and vessels inside the bay.

The battle became even more intense when the Confederate ironclad Tennessee confronted the Union fleet. Tennessee was heavily armored and represented the strongest Confederate naval threat in the bay. Smith did more than continue serving the heavy rifle. During the fight against the ironclad, he also used his musket against Tennessee, firing into the openings of the Confederate vessel’s gun ports.

That action brought Smith unusually close to the central struggle of the battle. The gun ports were among the few openings in the armored sides of an ironclad warship, and his official citation specifically preserved his decision to direct musket fire toward them while continuing his duties aboard Richmond. There is no need to enlarge the incident with later legend—the documented action itself demonstrates the intensity of his service under fire.

The Union fleet eventually overwhelmed Tennessee. After a series of attacks by Union vessels, the Confederate ironclad surrendered. Farragut’s forces had successfully entered Mobile Bay, defeated the Confederate naval squadron, and established control inside the bay. Fort Gaines surrendered soon afterward, while Fort Morgan held out until later in August. The victory became one of the defining naval successes of the Civil War and further weakened the Confederacy’s ability to use its Gulf ports.

Richmond survived the battle with two men reported wounded. The ship’s position in Farragut’s attacking column and its participation in the engagement with Tennessee placed its crew at the center of the operation. Smith’s performance stood out sufficiently to earn the United States’ highest military decoration.

In 1864, Walter B. Smith received the Medal of Honor for his conduct at Mobile Bay. His award recognized his service aboard U.S.S. Richmond on August 5 and specifically honored the courage and effectiveness he displayed at the 100-pounder rifle and while firing his musket into Tennessee’s gun ports. He was not an officer directing the battle or a senior petty officer commanding a large group of men. He was an Ordinary Seaman whose distinction came from the way he performed his assigned duty during sustained combat.

The surviving historical record does not provide a securely documented account of Smith’s later life, death, or burial, and those details should not be reconstructed from speculation. What remains firmly preserved is the moment for which he entered American military history.

Walter B. Smith’s legacy is therefore centered on the Battle of Mobile Bay. Amid heavy gunfire, the loss of Tecumseh, the passage of Fort Morgan, and the violent struggle with the ironclad Tennessee, he remained at his station aboard Richmond and continued fighting. His service at the heavy rifle and his musket fire into the Confederate ironclad’s gun ports became the verified acts for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor—a lasting record of an enlisted sailor performing his duty with exceptional courage during one of the Civil War’s greatest naval battles.