John Smith

John Smith (born c. 1831, 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.

Born in about 1831 in Boston, Massachusetts, Smith was still living in that city when he joined the Navy. He served in the war as captain of the forecastle on the . During the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, Lackawanna engaged the CSS Tennessee at close range but Smith, acting as a gun captain, found that his ship's artillery could not be aimed low enough to hit the Confederate ironclad. The two ships were so close that a Confederate sailor began shouting insults at Lackawanna's crew; Smith responded by throwing a holystone into one of Tennessee's portholes at him. For his actions during the battle, Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor months later, on December 31, 1864.