Born in about 1847 in Canada, Low immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from New York.
Low jumped into the water and kept the man afloat until they were both picked up by a boat.
For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor three and a half years later, on October 18, 1884.
[1] Low's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For jumping overboard from the U.S.S.
Tennessee at New Orleans, La., 15 February 1881, and sustaining, until picked up by a boat's crew, N. P. Petersen, gunner's mate, who had fallen overboard.