Thomas E. Atkinson [SEP] conflict
Thomas E. Atkinson
Thomas E. Atkinson (born 1824, date of death unknown) 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.
Biography.
Born in 1824 in Salem, Massachusetts, Atkinson was still living in that city when he joined the Navy. He served as a petty officer on the frigate from 1842 to 1846 and took part in the 1844 capture of the Argentinian
forts active during the various Indian Wars.
Countless American military heroes served at the post over the years. Early leaders Thomas Atkinson, Henry Leavenworth and Henry Dodge had already won fame in the War of 1812 before coming to Jefferson Barracks. The post’s size and military importance in the mid-19th century meant that most rising young West Pointers saw service there. This provided a pool of experienced leadership from which came hundreds of Civil War generals on both sides of the conflict, including Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Post