J. Henry Denig
US Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient
Died when: 38 years 93 days (459 months)Star Sign: Virgo
John Henry Denig (September 8, 1838 – December 10, 1876) was a United States Marine Corps sergeant serving aboard the USS Brooklyn during the American Civil War.
He received the Medal of Honor for his actions in 1864 during the Battle of Mobile Bay.Denig was born in York, Pennsylvania, on September 8, 1838, according to some army records.
However, his family tombstone cites a date in 1845, making him 16 at the time of his enlistment in the Civil War.
He enlisted in Marine Corps from Philadelphia in June 1861 and served as a sergeant on the USS Brooklyn during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama.
Mobile was the last Confederate-held port on the Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi River, and its capture would complete the Union blockade in the area.
In the August 5, 1864, attack, Brooklyn engaged Fort Morgan and the CSS Tennessee (1863).Throughout the two-hour battle, Denig fought "with skill courage", for which he was later awarded the Medal of Honor.
Twenty-two of his shipmates also received the medal for their part in the battle, which ended with a Union victory.
He was honorably discharged in September 1864.Denig died of health complications at age 38 and was buried in York's Prospect Hill Cemetery.
He is one of two Medal of Honor recipients interred in the cemetery, the other being Charles H.Ilgenfritz.
Related People
.png?width=300)
US Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient
US Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient
_c1865_MoH_Public_Domain.jpg?width=300)
US Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient