MOH Recipient Naval Appointment Issued to John H. Ferrell – Signed by Porter

Description

Naval Appointment Issued to John H. Ferrell

 

Be it Known, That reposing trust in the honor and ability of John H. Ferrell.  I do hereby appoint him First Class Pilot of the U.S. Mississippi Squadron, to have authority as First Class Pilot and to be obeyed by all persons under him in said Squadron. 

This appointment to hold good during the pleasure of the Commanding Officer of the Mississippi Squadron, for the time being. 

Given under my hand this first day of June A.D. eighteen hundred and sixty-three. 

David D. Porter 

Rear Admiral, 

Commanding U.S. Mississippi Squadron. 

 

Original Civil War naval appointment issued to John H. Ferrell, appointing him First Class Pilot of the United States Mississippi Squadron, dated June 1, 1863, and boldly signed by Rear Admiral David D. Porter, one of the most significant naval commanders of the war. 

Ferrell served as a civilian river pilot attached to the Union Navy and is documented as serving aboard the USS Neosho, one of the ironclad vessels operating in the Western Theater. Born April 15, 1829, in Bedford County, Tennessee, Ferrell later resided in Illinois and is buried in Price Cemetery, Elizabethtown, Illinois. 

 

Most notably, John H. Ferrell was a Medal of Honor recipient, awarded for extraordinary heroism on December 6, 1864, at Bell’s Mills on the Cumberland River, Tennessee, where he secured the flag under heavy enemy fire. Civilian pilots attached to the Mississippi Squadron played a critical and often dangerous role navigating ironclads and river vessels through hostile waters filled with obstructions, sharpshooters, and Confederate batteries. 

 

Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter was the commanding naval officer of the Mississippi Squadron and a central figure in Union river operations, including the Vicksburg Campaign and Red River Campaign. His signature on official wartime documents is highly desirable, particularly when associated with a Medal of Honor recipient serving under his command. 

 

Inventory Number: DOC 413