Charles Deakin

Charles Deakin
Born	1837 New York City
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Rank	Boatswain's Mate
Unit	USS Richmond
Battles/wars	American Civil War  • Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip  • Battle of Mobile Bay
Awards	Medal of Honor

Charles Deakin (born 1837, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay.

Born in 1837 in New York City, Deakin was living in Philadelphia when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a boatswain's mate and gun captain on the USS Richmond. In April 1862, he took part in the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip in Louisiana. At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he "fought his gun with skill and courage" despite heavy fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later, on December 31, 1864.^[1][2]

Deakin's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

As captain of a gun on board the U.S.S. Richmond during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks, Deakin fought his gun with skill and courage throughout a furious 2-hour battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram Tennessee and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan. He also participated in the actions at Forts Jackson and St. Philip.^[2]

References

1. "Charles Deakin". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
2. "Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients (A–L)". Medal of Honor Citations. United States Army Center of Military History. June 26, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2012.