Horatio Nelson Young (July 19, 1845 – July 3, 1913) was a United States Navy sailor who received 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 on the USS ''Lehigh'' during 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 ...

Biography

Young was born in

Calais, Maine Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,079, making Calais the largest municipality by population in Washington County, but the third least-populous city in Maine (after Ha ...

, a small

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

border town. As a young man he lived in a place where crossing the bridge over the St. Croix River to St. Stephen,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

for employment, shopping, hospitalization, or just visiting friends, was an almost daily part of life. Following the outbreak of the

, Young traveled to

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, where he joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. On November 16, 1863, the 18-year-old was serving aboard the when the ship ran aground in

Charleston Harbor The Charleston Harbor is an inlet (8 sq mi/20.7 km2) of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley River (South Carolina), Ashley and Cooper River (South Carolina), Cooper rivers at . Morr ...

. In rough waters and under heavy enemy fire, Young and two other sailors, Landsman Frank S. Gile and Landsman William Williams, succeeded in passing in a small boat from their ship to the with a line wrapped on a

hawser Hawser () is a nautical term for a thick rope used in Mooring (watercraft), mooring or towing a ship. A hawser is not waterproof, as is a Nautical cable, cable. A hawser passes through a hawsehole, also known as a cat hole, located on the wikt: ...

that would enable the ''Lehigh'' to be freed from her position. For this action, Young, Gile, and Williams each received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration. Young died in 1913 and was interred in the St. Stephen Rural Cemetery, in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, surrounded by other Canadian and American war dead.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: July 19, 1845, Calais, Maine. G.O. No.: 32, April 16, 1864. Citation:

On board the U.S.S. Lehigh, Charleston Harbor, 16 November 1863, during the hazardous task of freeing the Lehigh, which had grounded, and was under heavy enemy fire from Fort Moultrie. After several previous attempts had been made, Young succeeded in passing in a small boat from the Lehigh to the Nahant with a line bent on a hawser. This courageous action while under severe enemy fire enabled the Lehigh to be freed from her helpless position.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Horatio Nelson 1845 births 1913 deaths Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy sailors People of Maine in the American Civil War People from Calais, Maine American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References