Edward W. Hathaway (July 9, 1839 – April 6, 1916) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

Edward W. Hathaway
Born(1839-07-09)July 9, 1839
Plymouth, Massachusetts
DiedApril 6, 1916(1916-04-06) (aged 76)
Buried
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Navy
RankSeaman
UnitUnited States Navy USS Sciota[1]
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
Siege of Vicksburg
AwardsMedal of Honor

Born on July 9, 1839, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Hathaway was still living in that city when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a seaman on the USS Sciota. On June 28, 1862, Sciota was heading down the Mississippi River to participate in an attack on Vicksburg when it came under heavy fire. Hathaway "displayed exceptional courage" after being severely wounded. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor five years later on October 3, 1867.[2][1]

Hathaway's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Sciota prior to the battle Vicksburg, on 28 June 1862. Struck by a bullet which severed his left arm above the elbow, Hathaway displayed exceptional courage as his ship sustained numerous damaging hits from stem to stern while proceeding down the river to fight the battle of Vicksburg.[1]

Hathaway died on April 6, 1916, at age 76 and was buried in Everett, Massachusetts.[2]


See also

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Notes

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References

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  • "HATHAWAY, EDWARD W." Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMoHS. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  • Mahan, CDR USN, Alfred Thayer (1885). The Gulf and Inland Waters. The Navy in the Civil War. Vol. III. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. OCLC 166312281.
  • Matthews, Franklin (1915). Our Navy in Time of War (1861-1915). New York, NY: D. Appleton and Company. OCLC 940844432.
  • Porter, ADM USN, David Dixon (1886). The Naval History of the Civil War. New York, NY: The Sherman Publishing Company. OCLC 280729.
  • "Edward W Hathaway". THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
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