Recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor at the Battle of Mobile Bay, Miles Oviatt of Olean, New York exemplified the courage and traditions of the United States Marine Corps from the Civil War until the present day. Like many other Northern farm boys in 1862, Oviatt volunteered to fight for the Union -- but on ship rather than on land.

Oviatt's voyages aboard the USS Vanderbilt and the USS Brooklyn furnished many incidents for his diaries. His descriptions of the battles of Mobile Bay, where he was involved in a gun battle for two hours until the surrender of the Confederate ram Tennessee, and of Fort Fisher are highlights of the book. In addition to tales of shipboard life and threats of sinkings, fire, and disease, Oviatt recounts the long quest for the CSS Alabama, which led from New York to South America and Africa.

"Oviatt's description of events and life as a Marine aboard ship are remarkably well written." ... "Diaries, such as the one kept by Miles Oviatt, are great tools for the historian. In fact, the diary kept by Oviatt was used as a source in historical research to add to the historical account of the Battle of Mobile Bay."

Marine Corps Gazette; November 1999; Col. Wendell N. Vest, USMC (Ret.)

About: Mary P. Livingston

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