Peter Cotton (June 17, 1839 – unknown) was an American sailor who fought 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 ...
. Cotton 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 ...
the country's highest award for bravery during combat – for his action aboard the ''
USS Baron DeKalb
USS ''Baron DeKalb'' was a gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War.
USS ''Baron DeKalb'', named after General Baron DeKalb of Hüttendorf near Erlangen, in present-day Bavaria, was originally n ...
'' during the
Yazoo Pass Expedition between 23 and 27 December 1862. He was honored with the award on 3 April 1863.
Biography
Cotton was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on June 17, 1839. He enlisted into 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 ...
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 ...
. Cotton was the
coxswain
The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...
aboard the (initially called the USS ''St. Louis''), and saw action at the battles of
Fort Henry and
Fort Donelson in February 1862.
Medal of Honor
Citation:
See also
*
List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Peter
1830s births
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
Union army officers
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
Military personnel from New York City
Year of death missing