Daniel Dickinson Stevens (December 19, 1839[1] – November 7, 1916) was a United States Navy sailor during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration, for his actions at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.

Daniel Dickinson Stevens
Chief Quartermaster Daniel Stevens
Born(1839-12-19)December 19, 1839
La Grange, Tennessee, US
DiedNovember 7, 1916(1916-11-07) (aged 76)
Danvers, Massachusetts, US
AllegianceUnited States of America
Union
Service / branchUnited States Navy
Union Navy
RankChief Quartermaster
UnitUSS Canonicus
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
AwardsMedal of Honor

Biography

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In mid-January 1865, Stevens was serving as a quartermaster on the USS Canonicus when the ship took part in the bombardment of Fort Fisher, North Carolina. For his conduct during this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Before leaving the Navy, Stevens reached the rank of Chief Quartermaster.

He was an early member of the Naval Order of the United States and was assigned insignia number 58.

He died at age 76.

Medal of Honor citation

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Rank and Organization:

Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1840, Sagnange, Tenn. Accredited to: Massachusetts. Letter July 15, 1870, Secretary of the Navy to Hon. S. Hooper.

Citation:

On board the U.S.S. Canonicus during attacks on Fort Fisher, on January 13, 1865. As the Canonicus moved into position at 700 yards from shore, the enemy troops soon obtained her range and opened with heavy artillery fire, subjecting her to several hits and near misses until late in the afternoon when the heavier ships coming into line drove them into their bombproofs. Twice during the battle, in which his ship sustained 36 hits, the flag was shot away and gallantly replaced by Stevens.[2][3]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Sources are inconsistent on Stevens' date and place of birth. His Medal of Honor citation gives 1840 in Sagnange, Tennessee, ("Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (M-Z)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 3, 2009. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.), his government-issued grave marker gives December 19, 1839 (see here), and the book Deeds of Valor (Perrien-Keydel Company, Detroit, Michigan, 1907) gives La Grange, Tennessee (see here). This article assumes that the grave marker and the book Deeds of Valor are correct.
  2. ^ ""Civil War Medal of Honor citations" (S-Z): Stevens, Daniel D." AmericanCivilWar.com. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
  3. ^ "Medal of Honor website (M-Z): Stevens, Daniel D." United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2007-11-09.

References

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  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command.