Louis Richards

Louis or Lewis Richards (c. 1835 – January 7, 1894) 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 Forts Jackson and St. Philip.

Born in about 1835 in New York City, Richards was still living in the state of New York when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a quartermaster on the . At the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip near New Orleans on April 24, 1862, he successfully steered his ship through obstacles placed in the Mississippi River by the Confederates. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later on April 3, 1863.