238:
and paddled out into the river, hoping to either catch up with the gunboats, which had headed downstream, or cross to the other side of the river and rejoin the Union forces by foot. As he paddled, he looked back and noticed a Union man struggling in the water along the
Confederate-held shoreline. The soldier, Captain A.W. Becket of Company B, had attempted to cross the bayou but part-way through found himself too weak to continue; Becket had been ill and had left his sickbed to participate in the mission. Despite the risk, Darrough turned his canoe around and headed back towards the Confederates and the struggling man. He succeeded in getting Becket into the canoe, and then safely reached the opposite shore. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor several decades later, on February 5, 1895. Darrough's official Medal of Honor citation reads simply: "Saved the life of a captain."
286:
230:
boats. The gunboats immediately withdrew from the shore, without having time to take up their gangplanks. The men on shore, including
Darrough, were now stranded and under intense fire. As one boat engaged the Confederates, the other proceeded downstream and, after reaching a point which was partly out of range of the artillery, pulled alongside the shore and took on all the soldiers who had reached that point.
318:
272:
237:
blocked his path. Deciding that his only option to avoid being killed or captured was to swim the mile-wide river, and knowing that his clothes and gun would weigh him down, he began looking for a log to float on. As he searched the bank, he found a canoe hidden in the reeds. Overjoyed, he jumped in
229:
by two steam-powered gunboats. As the men disembarked from the boats onto the south bank of the
Tennessee River just downstream of Eastport, they came under fire from a concealed battery of Confederate artillery. The battery was at close range, and its fire proved devastating to both the men and the
28:
249:
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company F, 113th
Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Eastport, Miss., 10 October 1864. Entered service at: Concord, Morgan County, Ill. Birth: Kentucky. Date of issue: 5 February 1895.
176:
under intense enemy fire. Although he had found a canoe with which to cross the river safely, he voluntarily returned to the
Confederate-held shore to rescue a fellow soldier who was in danger of drowning.
241:
During his military service, Darrough was wounded and once escaped from
Confederate captivity. After the war, he returned to Iroquois County where he resided until his death at age 79.
304:
473:
233:
Darrough was unable to reach the boat in time and was again stranded as it pulled away from shore. He continued to follow the riverbank downstream until a deep
468:
458:
453:
387:
326:
210:
113:
448:
379:
350:
221:, to Eastport, Mississippi, to destroy train tracks and a bridge used by the Confederates. The regiment was transported up the
299:
169:
463:
168:
as a child and enlisted in the Union Army from that state. While participating in a mission to destroy a
291:
194:
189:, to Samuel Vogan and Ricey Ann Quaintance Darrough. By 1850, the family had moved to neighboring
190:
157:
443:
438:
8:
186:
50:
218:
149:
123:
85:
391:
222:
206:
277:
416:
226:
173:
153:
133:
432:
73:
322:
193:, where they owned a large farm. In 1855 they moved again, this time to
152:
and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the
145:
421:. Vol. 1. Detroit: The Perrien-Keydel Company. pp. 437–439.
214:
165:
161:
103:
27:
172:
railway, Darrough and others were stranded on the shore of the
234:
418:
Deeds of Valor: How
America's Heroes Won the Medal of Honor
305:
List of
American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
414:
267:
209:, on August 12, 1862. He served in Company F of the
474:
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
213:, and by October 10, 1864, had reached the rank of
197:, where Darrough would live the rest of his life.
430:
217:. On that day, his regiment was dispatched from
351:"Maysville native is Medal of Honor recipient"
344:
342:
340:
338:
388:United States Army Center of Military History
327:United States Army Center of Military History
469:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
459:People of Illinois in the American Civil War
380:"Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A–L)"
335:
415:Beyer, Walter F.; Oscar F. Keydel (1901).
374:
372:
370:
244:
211:113th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
114:113th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
26:
156:, for his actions during a skirmish near
144:(April 6, 1841 – August 14, 1920) was a
367:
431:
348:
454:People from Iroquois County, Illinois
410:
408:
205:Darrough enlisted in the Army from
200:
13:
405:
325:from websites or documents of the
14:
485:
300:List of Medal of Honor recipients
349:Arthur, Michael (July 4, 2009).
321: This article incorporates
316:
284:
270:
449:People from Maysville, Kentucky
390:. June 8, 2009. Archived from
1:
310:
180:
259:Saved the life of a captain.
7:
263:
10:
490:
292:American Civil War portal
195:Iroquois County, Illinois
129:
119:
109:
99:
91:
79:
69:
57:
37:
32:Sergeant John S. Darrough
25:
18:
384:Medal of Honor citations
245:Medal of Honor citation
355:The Ledger Independent
323:public domain material
261:
257:
158:Eastport, Mississippi
92:Years of service
164:, Darrough moved to
142:John Samuel Darrough
20:John Samuel Darrough
464:Union Army soldiers
187:Maysville, Kentucky
51:Maysville, Kentucky
219:Memphis, Tennessee
185:Darrough was born
150:American Civil War
124:American Civil War
86:United States Army
207:Concord, Illinois
139:
138:
481:
423:
422:
412:
403:
402:
400:
399:
376:
365:
364:
362:
361:
346:
320:
319:
294:
289:
288:
287:
280:
278:Biography portal
275:
274:
273:
227:Tennessee Rivers
201:Military service
81:
64:
47:
45:
30:
16:
15:
489:
488:
484:
483:
482:
480:
479:
478:
429:
428:
427:
426:
413:
406:
397:
395:
378:
377:
368:
359:
357:
347:
336:
317:
313:
290:
285:
283:
276:
271:
269:
266:
247:
203:
183:
174:Tennessee River
148:soldier in the
62:
61:August 14, 1920
49:
43:
41:
33:
21:
12:
11:
5:
487:
477:
476:
471:
466:
461:
456:
451:
446:
441:
425:
424:
404:
366:
333:
332:
331:
330:
312:
309:
308:
307:
302:
296:
295:
281:
265:
262:
246:
243:
202:
199:
182:
179:
154:Medal of Honor
137:
136:
134:Medal of Honor
131:
127:
126:
121:
117:
116:
111:
107:
106:
101:
97:
96:
93:
89:
88:
83:
77:
76:
71:
67:
66:
65:(aged 79)
59:
55:
54:
39:
35:
34:
31:
23:
22:
19:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
486:
475:
472:
470:
467:
465:
462:
460:
457:
455:
452:
450:
447:
445:
442:
440:
437:
436:
434:
420:
419:
411:
409:
394:on 2012-09-02
393:
389:
385:
381:
375:
373:
371:
356:
352:
345:
343:
341:
339:
334:
328:
324:
315:
314:
306:
303:
301:
298:
297:
293:
282:
279:
268:
260:
256:
255:
251:
242:
239:
236:
231:
228:
224:
220:
216:
212:
208:
198:
196:
192:
188:
178:
175:
171:
167:
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
135:
132:
128:
125:
122:
118:
115:
112:
108:
105:
102:
98:
94:
90:
87:
84:
78:
75:
74:United States
72:
68:
60:
56:
52:
48:April 6, 1841
40:
36:
29:
24:
17:
417:
396:. Retrieved
392:the original
383:
358:. Retrieved
354:
258:
253:
252:
248:
240:
232:
204:
191:Mason County
184:
141:
140:
120:Battles/wars
63:(1920-08-14)
444:1920 deaths
439:1841 births
223:Mississippi
170:Confederate
95:1862 - 1865
433:Categories
398:2009-07-08
360:2009-07-08
311:References
181:Early life
160:. Born in
146:Union Army
70:Allegiance
44:1841-04-06
264:See also
254:Citation
215:sergeant
166:Illinois
162:Kentucky
104:Sergeant
80:Service/
130:Awards
82:branch
235:bayou
225:and
110:Unit
100:Rank
58:Died
53:, US
38:Born
435::
407:^
386:.
382:.
369:^
353:.
337:^
401:.
363:.
329:.
46:)
42:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.