James Avery (sailor)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other persons named James Avery, see James Avery (disambiguation).

James Avery
1825 – 1898
James Avery, Medal of Honor recipient
Place of birth	Scotland
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	Union Navy
Battles/wars	American Civil War
Awards	Medal of Honor

James Avery (1825 - 1898) was an American Civil War Union Navy Seaman who received the Medal of Honor while serving aboard the USS Metacomet (1863).

1 Biography
2 Medal of Honor citation
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References

[edit] Biography

James Avery was born in Scotland in 1825.

On August 5th the USS Metacomet along with 17 other ships entered Mobile Bay and during the battle that ensued the Union monitor Tecumseh was sunk by a Confederate torpedo. James Avery aided in rescuing 10 members of the Tecumseh crew while enduring heavy enemy fire.

Many years after the war Avery was serving as a berth-deck cook and it was discovered by the captain that he had won a medal of honor. When asked about the medal he said:

"That can tell you more about it than I can. I did like the rest of the men that day, and I never expected anything more than my pay and rations. We tried to do our duty, and when we saw the men in the other ship being shot down and some drowning, we could only try to help them. God knows it was hard to see them being murdered without much change for escape"

This incident was reported in the New York Times in January 16, 1898.^[1]

Avery later served in one of the bureaus of the Navy Department.

He died on October 11, 1898 and is buried in Captain Ted Conaway Memorial Naval Cemetery Portsmouth, Virginia.^[2]

[edit] Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1825, Scotland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 71, 15 January 1866.

Citation:

Served on board the U.S.S. Metacomet. As a member of the boat's crew which went to the rescue of the U.S. monitor Tecumseh when that vessel was struck by a torpedo in passing the enemy forts in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864, S/man Avery braved the enemy fire which was said by the admiral to be "one of the most galling" he had ever seen, and aided in rescuing from death 10 of the crew of the Tecumseh, eliciting the admiration of both friend and foe.^[3]