John Woon
John Woon (born c. 1823, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Battle of Grand Gulf. Born in about 1823 in England, Woon immigrated to the United States and was living in New York when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served during the Civil War as a boatswain's mate and gun captain on the USS Pittsburgh. At the Battle of Grand Gulf, Mississippi, on April 29, 1863, he "had been confined to his hammock several days from sickness, yet insisted on and took command of the gun of which he was captain; fought it for over two hours, and only left it when no longer able to stand". For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a few months later on July 10, 1863.[1][2][3] Woon's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
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