John G. Morrison

John Gordon Morrison (November 3, 1842 – June 9, 1897) served in the American Civil War, receiving the Medal of Honor in 1862. Morrison was born in Ireland and came to the United States in 1855. Enlisting in the U.S. Navy at Lansingburgh, New York, April 24, 1861, he volunteered for service on gunboat USS Carondelet on February 15, 1862. He was appointed coxswain and later received the Medal of Honor for exceptional bravery during an engagement July 15, 1862 with Confederate ram CSS Arkansas in the Yazoo River. He was an inspiring example to the crew during Carondelet’s unsuccessful attempt to halt the ironclad ram’s progress through the Union blockade to the Mississippi River. Coxswain Morrison was discharged from the Navy March 31,...