Peter Williams (Medal of Honor)

Peter Williams (born c. 1831, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

[1][2][3] At the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, Williams stood at the ship's wheel and steered Monitor throughout an engagement with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly known as Merrimack).

He and fellow quartermaster Richard Anjier were applauded by their captain, Commander John P. Bankhead, for showing "the highest quality of men and seamen" during the incident.

Williams entered the commissioned officer ranks on January 10, 1863, with his assignment to USS Florida as an acting ensign, a position he held through the end of the war.

[1] Williams is one of the hundreds of Medal of Honor recipients who are considered "lost to history", as his place of burial and other biographical details outside of his naval service are unknown.