William Campbell's gun crew rained hell and shot on defiant Rebel batteries at Fort Fisher. The sailor's Medal of Honor

William Campbell's Medal of Honor; click to enlarge (Fort Fisher SHS)

The Medal of Honor bestowed to the captain of a gun on the USS Ticonderoga was donated this week to a North Carolina state park that tells the story of Union naval and land assaults on Fort Fisher.

Boatswain’s Mate William Campbell’s medal was brought Wednesday to Fort Fisher State Historic Site below Wilmington.

The park said the Zimmermann family from Illinois reached out a few months ago. Officials declined to provide information on them, citing privacy, and do not know whether they are related to Campbell.

I have been unable to learn much about Campbell, who was born in 1838 and enlisted in Indiana.

Becky Sawyer of the Fort Fisher site with the donors this week (Fort Fisher SHS)

He was one of 10 Ticonderoga sailors to receive the Medal of Honor. His citation reads:

“On board the U.S.S. Ticonderoga during the attacks on Fort Fisher, 24 and 25 December 1864; and 13 to 15 January 1865. Despite heavy return fire by the enemy and the explosion of the 100-pounder Parrott rifle which killed eight men and wounded 12 more, Campbell, as captain of a gun, performed his duties with skill and courage during the first two days of battle. As the ship again took position on the line of the 13th, he remained steadfast as the Ticonderoga maintained a well-placed fire upon the batteries onshore, and thereafter, as she materially lessened the power of guns on the mound which had been turned upon our assaulting columns. During this action the flag was planted on one of the strongest fortifications possessed by the rebels.”

Fort Fisher assistant site manager Chad Jefferds told the Picket enlistment records indicate Campbell was originally from Ireland.Jefferds said the site plans to place the medal on permanent display soon.

“The entirety of the US Navy fleet is interpreted in our exhibit gallery. The Ticonderoga (left, Wikipedia) is specifically mentioned in a section about the first battle, regarding the explosion of several 100-pounder Parrott rifles.”

During that first assault on Fort Fisher, about 45 Federal sailors were killed or injured when the Parrotts malfunctioned.

The fall of the fort in January 1865 was a massive blow to the Confederacy, which lost a supply pipeline months before the end of the Civil War.

Fort Fisher has one other Medal of Honor, that of William Henry Freeman of the 169^th New York (right), said Jefferds.

Freeman volunteered to carry the brigade flag during the victorious Second Battle of Fort Fisher after the bearer was wounded.

The Navy and Army created the Medal of Honor early in the conflict. More than 3,500 medals have been awarded since inception of the honor.

William Campbell's gun crew rained hell and shot on defiant Rebel batteries at Fort Fisher. The sailor's Medal of Honor

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