To: Name, Title or Position (optional)
John Henry Lawson, Civil War Hero
We, the undersigned petitioners, firmly insist that the New Jersey Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee add John Henry Lawson to its Medal of Honor roll.
As the committee is already aware, Mr. Lawson was a member of the gun-crew on the USS Hartford, whose commander, Admiral Ferragut, famously yelled at the Battle of Mobile Bay, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!
Badly wounded by an enemy shell that had killed most of his gun party, Lawson stayed at his position supplying ammunition till the enemy was subdued. For his actions on August 5, 1863 Lawson was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Lawson and his large family moved to Camden during the 1870s. From that period through the 1880s, the Lawsons lived on Branch Street in the Centerville section of the city. Following his death in Philadelphia, in 1919, Lawson was buried in Lawnside, New Jersey. Some of his descendants still reside in south Jersey.
Whereas, John Henry Lawson established deep roots in New Jersey and; and
Whereas, the social benefits of inclusion should be a goal of the publicly supported New Jersey Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee; and
Whereas the Sesquicentennial Committee already features Mr. Lawson as a New Jersey serviceman on its website at http://www.njcivilwar150.org/njgtw.htm;
We petition the committee to add the name of African American hero John Henry Lawson to its website and other databases identifying Medal of Honor winners from New Jersey [http://www.njcivilwar150.org/njmoh.htm].
As the committee is already aware, Mr. Lawson was a member of the gun-crew on the USS Hartford, whose commander, Admiral Ferragut, famously yelled at the Battle of Mobile Bay, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!
Badly wounded by an enemy shell that had killed most of his gun party, Lawson stayed at his position supplying ammunition till the enemy was subdued. For his actions on August 5, 1863 Lawson was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Lawson and his large family moved to Camden during the 1870s. From that period through the 1880s, the Lawsons lived on Branch Street in the Centerville section of the city. Following his death in Philadelphia, in 1919, Lawson was buried in Lawnside, New Jersey. Some of his descendants still reside in south Jersey.
Whereas, John Henry Lawson established deep roots in New Jersey and; and
Whereas, the social benefits of inclusion should be a goal of the publicly supported New Jersey Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee; and
Whereas the Sesquicentennial Committee already features Mr. Lawson as a New Jersey serviceman on its website at http://www.njcivilwar150.org/njgtw.htm;
We petition the committee to add the name of African American hero John Henry Lawson to its website and other databases identifying Medal of Honor winners from New Jersey [http://www.njcivilwar150.org/njmoh.htm].
Why is this important?
John Henry Lawson was an African American who won the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard the USS Hartford at the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. For a significant portion of his life, Lawson lived in Camden, New Jersey. He also chose to be buried in Jersey soil.
With the 150th commemoration of the Civil War currently taking the NJ Sesquicentennial Committee has elected to exclude John Henry Lawson from its list of New Jersey Medal of Honor winners, Also, Lawson, who was an African American, is the only MOH winner excluded by the committee. We want Lawson's name added to its roll of MOH winners.
With the 150th commemoration of the Civil War currently taking the NJ Sesquicentennial Committee has elected to exclude John Henry Lawson from its list of New Jersey Medal of Honor winners, Also, Lawson, who was an African American, is the only MOH winner excluded by the committee. We want Lawson's name added to its roll of MOH winners.