Edward Ringold was a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 coxswain and a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

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Biography

On October 22, 1862, in action at Pocataligo, South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

, at 10:00AM troops began disembarking from their transporters, with three 12 pound boat howitzers and gun crews from the , Under the command of Lieutenant Lloyd Phoenix. Traveling with General John Milton Brannan’s

John Milton Brannan

John Milton Brannan was a career American Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War, in command of the Department of Key West in Florida and assigned to Fort Zachary Taylor...

 forces through swamps, thickets, and past burned bridges all of which delayed the movement of the union forces. After landing the naval crews dragged the howitzers five miles inland and immediately met the enemy. Opening up a rapid fire, the naval gun crews advanced with the army forces until they fired away most of their ammunition. At this point Coxswain Edward Ringold of the USS Wabash ran back two miles filled his shirt with fixed ammunition, slung it over his back and ran back to the front under heavy fire, arriving in time to check the enemy’s advance.

The date and place of death of Edward Ringold are unknown.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization:

Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1827, Baltimore, Md. Accredited To: Maryland. G.O. No.: 17, July 10, 1863.

Citation:

Served as coxswain on board the U.S.S. Wabash in the engagement at Pocataligo, 22 October 1862. Soliciting permission to accompany the howitzer corps, and performing his duty with such gallantry and presence of mind as to attract the attention of all around him, Ringold, knowing there was a scarcity of ammunition, went through the whole line of fire with his shirt slung over his shoulder filled with fixed ammunition which he had brought from 2 miles to the rear of the lines.

See also

• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: Q–S