![]() ![]() Carrying out his duties courageously during these actions, Ortega conducted himself gallantly through both periods. Saratoga during actions of that vessel on 2 occasions. A number of buildings, bridges, and salt works were destroyed during the expedition.įor his actions Seaman John Ortega was awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to acting master's mate. Ortega was a member of the landing parties from the ship who made several raids in August and September which resulted in the capture of many prisoners and the taking or destruction of substantial quantities of ordnance, ammunition, and supplies. The Union blockade was a massive effort on behave of the Union Navy designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms to and from the Confederate States. On January 13, 1864, Secretary of the United States Navy Gideon Welles, ordered Commander Colvocoresses and the USS Saratoga to proceed to Charleston, South Carolina, and report to Rear Admiral Dahlgren for duty in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in what is known as the Union blockade. It was a sloop-of-war under the command of Commander George Musalas Colvocoresses. The USS Saratoga, commissioned in 1843, was the third ship of the United States Navy baptized with that same name. Ortega was assigned to the USS Saratoga during the American Civil War. ![]() Ortega, a resident of Pennsylvania, was a Spanish immigrant who joined the Union Navy in his adopted hometown in Pennsylvania. Seaman John Ortega (born in 1840 in Spain), was the first Hispanic sailor to be awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor in combat - the Medal of Honor - for having distinguished himself during the South Atlantic Blockade by the Union Naval forces during the American Civil War.
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