Patrick Murphy

Who was Patrick Murphy?

Patrick Murphy 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 at the Battle of Mobile Bay. A native of Ireland, Murphy began his seafaring career as a teenager aboard merchant ships in the North Atlantic and served for two years in the Royal Navy. He joined the U.S. Navy after settling in Erie, Pennsylvania, and sailed the Great Lakes as a petty officer on the USS Michigan. During the American Civil War, he served aboard the USS Metacomet and distinguished himself in the action at Mobile Bay. He returned to Erie and the USS Michigan after the war, continuing on that ship for twenty more years until retiring as a warrant officer.