William R. Pelham was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on 8 December 1847. He enlisted in the US Navy at New York, New York, and took part in the Civil War as a crewmember of Rear Admiral Farragut's flagship Hartford. During the Battle of Mobile Bay, on 5 August 1864, his gun was disabled, with many of its crew killed or injured. After assisting the casualties, Pelham served at a nearby gun until the end of the battle, which resulted in the capture of CSS Tennessee. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his conduct in that action. William R. Pelham died on 30 March 1933 at Brooklyn, New York.
This page features the only image we have concerning William R. Pelham.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Medal of Honor citation of Landsman William R. Pelham (as printed in the official publication "Medal of Honor, 1861-1949, The Navy", page 43): |
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 15 March 2006