Marines at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher-- Part 3: Six Received Medals of Honor

The book said that another 180 Marines aided the Army in their attack on the land face of the fort.

A number of Marines distinguished themselves during the attack.  Six received a Medal of Honor in the action.

Orderly Sergeant Isaac N. Fry and Sgt. Richard Binder received the honor for the manner in which they commanded their ship's guns.  Corporal Andrew J. Tomlin, of the USS Wabash, shouldered a wounded comrade and carried him to safety during the land attack.

Corporal John Rannahan and Pfcs John Shivers from the USS Minnesota, advanced further than any other Marines with their detachment.  LtCdr. James H. Parker, commanding the shore party from that ship remarked:  "Thompson got nearer the fort than any one from our ship by a few yards.  They [all] deserve promotion and medals."

The Marine battalion sustained 15 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, and one officer and 45 men wounded during the action.

--Old B-Runner

Marines at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher

From American Civil War Marines 1861-1865 by Ron Field.

This was the engagement where Sgt. Richard Binder received his Medal of Honor although he remained on the USS Ticonderoga and was not in the Naval Column.

The Naval Brigade, which attacked Fort Fisher along the beach while Army regiments  moved along the river side in their simultaneous attack of the fort.  It was under command of  Cmdr. Kidder R. Breese and consisted of 1600 sailors and 400 Marines.

Deployed as sharpshooters during the advance of the Naval Brigade, the Marines, under Captain Lucian L. Dawson, the senior officer of the squadron, were caught up in a generally disorganized assault in which the Army attack was delayed.  Hopelessly pinned down at the base of the defenses of the fort, a few Marines managed to to pass through a breech blown in the 9-foot palisades but were forced to fall back with heavy casualties.

--Old B-Runner

The Text of Sgt. Binder's Medal of Honor

From the Naval History and Heritage Command.

"BINDER, RICHARD, Sergeant USMC.  Born 1840, Philadelphia, Pa.  Accredited to Pennsylvania.

On board the USS 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 killed8 men and wounded 12 more, Sergeant Binder, as Captain of a gun, performed his duties with skill and courage during the two days of battle.

As his ship again took position on the 13th, he remained steadfast as the Ticonderoga maintained a well-placed fire upon the batteries on shore, and thereafter, as she materially lessened the power of the guns on the mound which had been turned upon our assaulting columns.

During the action,  the flag was planted on one of the strongest fortifications possessed by the rebels."

--Old B-Runner

USMC Medal of Honor at Fort Fisher: Sgt. Richard Binder-- Part 2

After the war, Richard Binder was honorably discharged and received his Medal of Honor  on June 22, 1865, although the ceremony for it wasn't held until the 1890s.  Nine other men from the USS Ticonderoga received Medals of Honor at Fort Fisher.

In 1868 he married a woman named Fredericka who had immigrated from the same German city years prior.  They had a daughter and son.

He resumed cutting hair.  By 1890 he had four shops across Philadelphia and even expanded into tonics and toupees.  He was quite a cane collector and had 600 of them, including one that had been used by President Abraham Lincoln.

He died February 26, 1912, from heart disease and is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia.

For the Hairy Old.  --Old B-R'er

USMC Medal of Honor at Fort Fisher: Sgt. Richard Binder-- Part 1

From January 15, 2024, Medal of Honor Monday.

Sergeant Binder was born July 26, 1839, in Germany and moved to New York at age 15 before settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He worked as a barber and received his U.S. citizenship in 1860.  Just before his 22nd birthday, he enlisted in the Marine Corps on July 11, 1861.

He first served on a ship that sank at the Battle of Port Royal, South Carolina, on November 1861.   (The only Union ship I could find that sank at the battle was the transport Governor.)

From there he moved on to serve on other ships and participated in actions.  In 1864, he was transferred to the USS Ticonderoga.

During the second attack on Fort Fisher, January 13-15, 1865, Sgt, Binder was captain of a gun on board his ship.  During that time, he "performed his duties with skill and courage" according to his Medal of Honor citation.

Quite a Few Medals of Honor at Fisher.  --Old B-Runner