William Joseph Franks

William Joseph Franks took a 12-pound howitzer ashore from USS Marmora at Yazoo City and kept the gun in action while rifle fire struck its carriage and equipment around him.

Born about 1830 in North Carolina, Franks entered the U.S. Navy in 1863. He served aboard USS Marmora and, on 5 March 1864 at Yazoo City, Mississippi, landed with a naval howitzer during an attack on Union forces. Despite sustained enemy rifle fire, Franks remained at the gun and helped repel the assault. His service later brought promotion to acting master's mate.

Medal of Honor Citation (condensed): At Yazoo City, Franks served a landed 12-pound howitzer under close rifle fire and remained at his post while the gun carriage and equipment were being struck.

The surviving authoritative sources reviewed here do not establish his later life or death with enough certainty to add unsupported detail.

His proposed rack is the Medal of Honor and the Navy Civil War Campaign Medal. The source export used the generic Army campaign entry, which is replaced with the existing service-specific Navy catalogue entry. No device is supported.