William Hinnegan

William Hinnegan
William Hinnegan
Born	June 26, 1841; Ireland
Died	April 18, 1912 (aged 70)
Allegiance	United States; Union
Service / branch	United States Navy; Union Navy
Rank	Second Class Fireman
Unit	USS Agawam
Battles / wars	American Civil War
Awards	Medal of Honor

William Hinnegan (June 26, 1841 – April 18, 1912) was a sailor in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor.^[1]

Biography

Hinnegan was born in 1841 in Ireland. He emigrated to the United States as a boy and joined the US Navy from New York City.^[2]^[1]^[3]

Hinnegan was a Fireman Second Class served on board the U.S.S. Agawam, as one of a volunteer crew of powder boat which was exploded near Fort Fisher, 23 December 1864.^[4]^[5]^[6] This act earned the Medal of Honor during the Civil War.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Fireman Second Class, U.S.S. Agawam. Place and date: At Fort Fisher, North Carolina, 23 December 1864^[7]

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Fireman Second Class William Hinnegan, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving on board the U.S.S. Agawam, as one of a volunteer crew of powder boat which was exploded near Fort Fisher, North Carolina, 23 December 1864. The powder boat, towed in by the Wilderness to prevent detection by the enemy, cast off and slowly steamed to within 300 yards of the beach. After fuses and fires had been lit and a second anchor with short scope let go to assure the boat's tailing inshore, the crew again boarded the Wilderness and proceeded a distance of 12 miles from shore. Less than two hours later the explosion took place, and the following day fires were observed still burning at the forts.^[8]^[9]^[1]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs (1968), p. 120.
^ Damian Shiels (2020).
^ New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (2020).
^ Ammen (1885), p. 220-222.
^ Matthews (1915), p. 141-146.
^ Porter (1886), p. 694-695.
^ Sightline Media Group (2020).
^ CMOHS (2014).
^ VCOnline (2020).

References

Ammen, Daniel, RADM USN (1885). The Atlantic Coast. The Navy in the Civil War. Vol. II. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. OCLC 166312281.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Matthews, Franklin (1915). Our Navy in Time of War (1861-1915). New York, NY: D. Appleton and Company. OCLC 940844432.
Mitchell, Joseph B.; Otis, James (1968). The Badge of Gallantry; Recollections of Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor winners. New York: Macmillan. p. 194. hdl:2027/mdp.39015005683266. OCLC 560289389.
Page, Charles D (1906). History of the Fourteenth Regiment, Connecticut Vol. Infantry. Meriden, CT: The Horton Printing Co. p. 509. hdl:2027/loc.ark:/13960/t21c23p5t. OCLC 903483400.
Porter, David Dixon, ADM USN (1886). The Naval History of the Civil War. New York, NY: The Sherman Publishing Company. OCLC 280729.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Labor and Public Welfare (1968). Edward M Kennedy, Chairman (ed.). Medal of Honor, 1863-1968 : "In the Name of the Congress of the United States". Committee print (United States. Congress), 90th Congress, 2nd session. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1087. OCLC 1049691780.
The Werner Company (1896). The Story of American Heroism: Thrilling Narratives of Personal Adventures During the Great Civil War as Told by the Medal Winners and Roll of Honor Men. New York, NY: The Werner Company. p. 798. OCLC 1085307831.
"Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A-L)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 6, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
"MOHs - victoriacross". THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
"CMOHS.org - Official Website of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
"Hinnegan, William - The National Medal of Honor Museum The National Medal of Honor Museum". The National Medal of Honor Museum. The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
"William Hinnegan - Recipient". The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
"Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients Affiliated with New York". New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
"Medal of Honor – Irish in the American Civil War". Irish in the American Civil War – Exploring Irish Emigration in the 19th Century United States. Damian Shiels. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.