Born in Portsmouth in 1820, Mark G. Ham was a veteran of the 6th New Hampshire Infantry who eventually transitioned his service to the sea. By 1864, he was serving as a Carpenter’s Mate aboard the USS Kearsarge, a Mohican-class sloop-of-war tasked with hunting down Confederate commerce raiders that were’ wreaking havoc on Union shipping.

The defining moment of Ham’s service occurred on June 19, 1864, off the coast of Cherbourg, France. The Kearsarge finally cornered the notorious CSS Alabama. As the two vessels circled each other in a grueling ship-to-ship duel, Ham remained at his post despite the “bitter enemy fire” directed at the Union vessel.

As a Carpenter’s Mate, Ham was responsible for the structural integrity of the ship during combat—a high-stakes role when facing the Alabama’s heavy weaponry. His divisional officer later noted that Ham performed his duties with exceptional intelligence and faithfulness. For his distinguished conduct during the sinking of the Alabama, Ham was awarded the Medal of Honor, cementing his place in New Hampshire’s naval history.