Charles A. Read

Charles A. Read
Civil War era Navy Medal of Honor
Born	October 23, 1837 Sweden
Died	May 7, 1865 Manhattan, New York City, New York
Place of burial	Cemetery of the Evergreens
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service / branch	United States Navy Union Navy
Rank	Coxswain
Unit	USS Kearsarge
Battles / wars	American Civil War Battle of Cherbourg (1864)
Awards	Medal of Honor

Charles A. Read (born Johan A. Linderoth, Oct 23, 1837 - d. May 7, 1865) was a Union Navy sailor in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor for valor in action during the American Civil War.

Military service

Read was born in Sweden in 1837. On June 19, 1864 he was serving as a Coxswain on the sloop of war USS Kearsarge when she sank the commerce raider CSS Alabama off Cherbourg, France. He was awarded his Medal of Honor for gallantry under fire exhibited while crewing the ship's pivot gun.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1837, Sweden Accredited to: Ohio. G.O. No.: 45, December 31, 1864.

Read's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Served as coxswain on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, June 19, 1864. Acting as the first sponger of the pivot gun during this bitter engagement, Read exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by his divisional officer.

Death and burial

Medal of Honor recipient Charles A. Read died on May 7, 1865 of an apparent suicide and was buried in the Cemetery of the Evergreens, Brooklyn, New York City, New York.

Read's death notice in the May 9, 1865 New York Herald newspaper read:

Suicide By Taking Poison - At a late hour on Sunday night officer Tucker, of the Fourteenth precinct, was called to the house No. 98 Mott street to take charge of Mr. Charles Reed, who, he was informed, had swallowed a dose of laudanum while suffering from temporary derangement of mind, for the purpose of terminating his existence. Mr. Reed, being in a state of insensibility at the time, was conveyed to the New York Hospital, where he soon afterwards died. Deceased was about thirty years of age and a native of Sweden. He had been following the sea for a living. Coroner Wildey was notified to hold an inquest.

See also

• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: Q–S

References

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

• "Charles A. Read". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
• ""CHARLES A. READ" entry". Medal of Honor recipients: Civil War (M-Z). United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Retrieved 2007-12-27.