Robert Jordan (1826 - December 21, 1881) was an American sailor and recipient of 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 ...

who received the award for his actions 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 ...

Biography

Jordan was born in New York, New York in 1826. He served in the Union Navy as coxswain aboard the USS ''Mount Washington'' during the American Civil War. He earned his medal in action aboard USS ''Mount Washington'' on the Nansemond River, Virginia on April 14, 1863. He received his medal on July 10, 1863. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 21, 1881, and is now buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where his name is spelled as "Jourdan".

Medal of Honor Citation

For extraordinary heroism in action while attached to the ''

USS Minnesota USS ''Minnesota'' may refer to the following ships of the United States Navy: * was a wooden steam frigate Steam frigates (including screw frigates) and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were ste ...

'' and temporarily serving on the '' USS Mount Washington'', during action against the enemy in the Nansemond River, Virginia, 14 April 1863. When the ''Mount Washington'' drifted against the bank following several successive hits which struck her boilers and stopped her engines, Coxswain Jordan boarded the stricken vessel and, for six hours as fierce artillery and musketry continued to rake her decks, calmly assisted in manning a 12-pound howitzer which had been mounted on the open hurricane deck.

External links

Photograph of Jordan's gravestone

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Robert American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients 1826 births 1881 deaths