b. 26/09/1842 Waterford, Pennsylvania. d. 11/08/1900 Ida Grove, Iowa.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 22/02/1865 Fort Fisher & Wilmington, North Carolina.
George W McWilliams MOH
George Washington McWilliams was born on September 26, 1842 in Waterford, Pennsylvania. At the start of the American Civil War, McWilliams joined the U.S. Navy in 1864 as a landsman on the U.S.S. Pontoosuc, a side wheel steam-driven gunboat commissioned in May 1864 and decommissioned in July 1865. The ship was part of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron escorting merchant ships and cruising off the coast in pursuit of the Confederate raider – C.S.S. Tallahassee. During this campaign, seven of Pontoosuc’s sailors received the Medal of Honor.
MOH CITATION:
Served on board the U.S.S. Pontoosuc during the capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington, 24 December 1864 to 22 February 1865. Carrying out his duties faithfully throughout this period, McWilliams was so severely wounded in the assault upon Fort Fisher that he was sent to the hospital at Portsmouth, Va. McWilliams was recommended for his gallantry, skill, and coolness in action while under the fire of the enemy.
BURIAL LOCATION: IDA GROVE CEMETERY, IDA GROVE, IOWA.
BLOCK 268, LOT 1.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: BELIEVED TO BE FAMILY.
