Edward or Edwin S. Martin (1840 – December 23, 1901) was a Union Navy sailor in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

, for his actions at the

Battle of Mobile Bay The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...

. Born in 1840 in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, Martin immigrated to the United States and was living in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the Civil War as a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

on the . At the

on August 5, 1864, he "performed his duties with skill and courage" as his ship assisted the disabled while under heavy fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later on June 22, 1865. Martin's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. ''Galena'' during the attack on enemy forts at Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Securely lashed to the side of the ''Oneida'' which had suffered the loss of her steering apparatus and an explosion of her boiler from enemy fire, the ''Galena'' aided the stricken vessel past the enemy forts to safety. Despite heavy damage to his ship from raking enemy fire, Martin performed his duties with skill and courage throughout the action.

Martin died on December 23, 1901, at age 60 or 61 and was buried at

Cypress Hills National Cemetery Cypress Hills National Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is the only United States National Cemetery in New York City and has more than 21,100 interments of ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Edward S. 1840 births 1901 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor