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Home Town England
Last Address George's Date of Passing and Burial Site are yet to be determined.
SEAMAN USN - USS MAGNOLIA
CIVIL WAR MEDAL OF HONOR
Awarded for actions during the Civil War
For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Seaman George Pyne, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving as Seaman on board the U.S.S. Magnolia, St. Marks, Florida, 5 and 6 March 1865. Serving with the Army in charge of Navy howitzers during the attack on St. Marks and throughout this fierce engagement, Seaman Pyne, although wounded, made remarkable efforts in assisting transport of the gun, and his coolness and determination in courageously standing by his gun while under the fire of the enemy were a credit to the service to which he belonged.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 59 (June 22, 1865) Action Date: March 05 & 6, 1865 Service: Navy Rank: Seaman Division: U.S.S. Magnolia
Other Comments:
Pyne joined the U.S. Navy from the state of New York in 1862. By March 5, 1865, he was serving as a seaman on the USS Magnolia. On that day and the next, he accompanied a Union Army force during the Battle of Natural Bridge near St. Marks, Florida. Although wounded, he helped transport and fire a naval howitzer throughout the engagement under heavy Confederate fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor three months later, on June 22, 1865.
MAGNOLIA was a seagoing, wooden side-wheeler with typical walking-beam engine, built at Greenpoint, N.Y., in 1867. One of 14 ships belonging to Charles Morgan's Southern S. S. Co., she was impressed as a public vessel at New Orleans, 16 January 1862, by Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell, CSA, acting for Secretary of War Benjamin. The original intention was to arm them all as cotton clad rams to defend the Delta, but further consideration argued in favor of smaller, low-pressure steam towboats, with lower fuel consumption and easier to shield for battle, and few of the high-pressure seagoing steamers were used for this essentially inappropriate role.
Rejected as a ram but probably still Government-owned, MAGNOLIA made at least two successful runs to nearby British islands in 1861 with extremely large cargoes. Escaping through Pas a l'Outre, she was overhauled, 19 February 1862, by USS BROOKLYN and SOUTH CAROLINA as a rich prize carrying 1,210 bales of cotton. USS MAGNOLIA entered the U.S. Navy 22 July 1862 at New York following Key West prize court proceedings in April. After expensive repairs, she was a valuable gunboat carrying 2 to 5 guns the rest of the war. Sold at auction 12 July 1865, she was enrolled for commercial transportation 23 August, going out of service in 1866.