William Young (Medal of Honor)

William Young was born in 1835 in New York. During the American Civil War he entered the United States Navy and served as a Boatswain's Mate aboard the screw gunboat USS Cayuga. His surviving Medal of Honor records do not establish a middle name or middle initial, so the historically safest form of his name remains simply William Young. Congressional Medal of Honor Society A Boatswain's Mate was an experienced enlisted sailor responsible for important aspects of seamanship, deck work, rigging, equipment, and the organization of sailors carrying out shipboard duties. Young's rating therefore reflected significant practical responsibility aboard a nineteenth-century warship. During the action that made him famous, however, he also served directly as a gunner, manning one of USS Cayuga's weapons under intense enemy fire. USS Cayuga USS Cayuga was a relatively new screw steamer, launched in October 1861 and commissioned on February 21, 1862. She was armed with a combination of rifled and smoothbore naval guns and assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. After commissioning, Cayuga proceeded south and reached Ship Island, Mississippi, on March 26, 1862. Her assignment placed her in the Union campaign against the lower Mississippi River and the Confederate defenses protecting New Orleans. Naval History and Heritage Command New Orleans was one of the Confederacy's largest cities and its most important commercial center on the lower Mississippi. Capturing it would give the Union a major strategic and psychological victory and help advance the broader goal of controlling the Mississippi River. The naval operation was commanded by Flag Officer David G. Farragut. Forts Jackson and St. Philip The principal obstacles to Farragut's fleet were Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip, powerful Confederate fortifications positioned below New Orleans on opposite sides of the Mississippi. The river approach was also protected by obstructions and Confederate naval vessels. Before attempting the passage, Union mortar schooners bombarded the forts for several days. Farragut ultimately decided that bombardment alone was unlikely to force a quick surrender. He therefore chose the much more dangerous course of running his fleet directly past the forts at night. The attack began in the early hours of April 24, 1862. Farragut organized his fleet into divisions. USS Cayuga, serving as the flagship of Captain Theodorus Bailey's first division, was positioned at the front of the advancing column. Naval History and Heritage Command William Young was aboard her. The Medal of Honor Action — April 24–25, 1862 At approximately the pre-dawn hours of April 24, the Union vessels began moving through the broken river barrier and toward the Confederate forts. Cayuga led the advance. As the vessel approached the defenses, Forts Jackson and St. Philip opened fire. Young's Medal of Honor citation records that enemy fire struck USS Cayuga repeatedly from stem to stern. The ship ultimately sustained 46 hits during the fighting. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Amid this heavy bombardment, Boatswain's Mate William Young calmly remained at a Parrott gun. A Parrott gun was a rifled artillery piece capable of firing accurately at longer ranges than many older smoothbore weapons. Operating one effectively in combat required a trained crew to load, aim, fire, sponge, and reload the gun while maintaining discipline under battlefield conditions. Young continued working the weapon despite the Confederate fire striking around him. That steadiness formed the core of his Medal of Honor recognition. Fighting Above the Forts Passing Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip did not end the danger. Once USS Cayuga moved above the forts, Confederate naval vessels attempted to attack the Union ships. Young's official citation records that three Confederate steamers attempted to ram and board USS Cayuga. The attacks were defeated. The Confederate vessels were either driven away or captured, while Cayuga continued fighting. The citation also credits the action with successfully engaging eleven enemy gunboats during the broader fighting. Congressional Medal of Honor Society For sailors such as Young, this meant facing multiple forms of danger within a single engagement: fire from the Confederate forts, enemy gunboats, attempted ramming, and the possibility of close-quarters boarding combat. Yet Young remained at his gun. The Importance of His Conduct Young's Medal of Honor citation does not describe a single dramatic gesture such as capturing a flag or rescuing a wounded officer. Instead, his heroism rested on professional steadiness under sustained fire. Naval combat depended on gun crews continuing to operate their weapons regardless of casualties, noise, smoke, shock, and damage around them. If a crew abandoned its station, one of the ship's guns immediately became useless. Young stayed at his Parrott gun while Cayuga was struck dozens of times and while Confederate vessels tried to stop the Union advance. That consistency helped keep the ship fighting during one of the most important naval operations of the Civil War. Breakthrough to New Orleans USS Cayuga successfully passed the forts at about 4:00 a.m., becoming the first vessel of Farragut's fleet to break through the Confederate defenses. Other Union ships followed. The Confederate naval resistance above the forts was defeated, and Farragut's fleet proceeded upriver toward New Orleans. Naval History and Heritage Command The breakthrough effectively made the city's military position untenable. Farragut's vessels reached New Orleans, and Union forces took control of the city. Forts Jackson and St. Philip, now bypassed and isolated, surrendered on April 28, 1862. Naval History and Heritage Command The capture of New Orleans was one of the Union's greatest early-war victories. It deprived the Confederacy of a major port and commercial center and strengthened Union control over the lower Mississippi. William Young had been aboard the ship leading the assault column. Medal of Honor Recognition Young's bravery was formally recognized the following year. His award was recorded under General Order No. 11, dated April 3, 1863. The historical Navy Medal of Honor roll specifically records William Young as: Boatswain's Mate, USS Cayuga, and states that he was mentioned with praise for his conduct during the attack on Forts Jackson and St. Philip and the taking of New Orleans. NY Military Museum His award was not posthumous. For this project's historical ribbon system, the correct decoration is: Medal of Honor 1862–1912 Navy — No device No V device, star, clasp, or other unsupported attachment should be added. Rank Unlike several other Civil War recipients whose action rank differed from a later promotion, Young's authoritative Medal of Honor records consistently identify his verified rating as: Boatswain's Mate Therefore the project should use: Rank: Boatswain's Mate Rank at Medal of Honor Action: Boatswain's Mate There is no need to create a separate higher-rank entry without stronger individual service evidence. USS Cayuga After New Orleans USS Cayuga continued serving actively after the capture of New Orleans. The vessel later operated in the Gulf region, took prizes, bombarded Confederate positions, and remained in service until 1865. She was eventually decommissioned in New York on July 31, 1865. Naval History and Heritage Command However, surviving recipient-specific sources do not establish that William Young personally participated in every later engagement or capture involving Cayuga. For that reason, those operations should remain part of the ship's history, not automatically be entered into Young's personal combat record. His securely documented defining action remains the Forts Jackson and St. Philip / New Orleans operation of April 24–25, 1862. Later Life William Young survived the Civil War and lived for more than fifteen years after the action that earned him the Medal of Honor. The surviving authoritative award record preserves relatively little information about his civilian career after naval service. Under the project's zero-assumption standard, unsupported occupations, marriages, residences, or family details should therefore not be added merely because records for similarly named individuals exist. What can be stated securely is that Young eventually lived in Pennsylvania. He died on December 26, 1878, in Erie, Pennsylvania, at approximately forty-three years of age. Congressional Medal of Honor Society He was buried in Erie Cemetery, where the Congressional Medal of Honor Society records his grave in Section 16, lot C-24. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Legacy William Young's Medal of Honor story captures an essential feature of naval courage during the American Civil War. He was not the admiral directing the fleet. He was not the captain commanding USS Cayuga. He was an experienced enlisted sailor standing at a gun while his ship led one of the boldest naval penetrations of the war. Around him, Confederate forts were firing. His ship was repeatedly struck. Enemy steamers attempted to ram and board her. Multiple Confederate gunboats had to be engaged. Yet Young remained calm and continued operating his Parrott gun. USS Cayuga survived the passage. The Union fleet broke through the Confederate defenses. New Orleans fell. And William Young's conduct aboard the lead ship was later recognized with the Medal of Honor. His story is therefore one of disciplined courage—the ability to remain at a vital battle station and continue doing the work upon which the entire ship depended despite intense enemy fire.