Marine Corps Sgt. , like many other men born in the middle of the 1800s, Richard Binder came to America in search of better opportunities. He had made the United States his adopted home by the time the Civil War broke out, and he was prepared to fight for it. Throughout the war, Binder earned his stripes on ships, and his deeds earned him a Medal of Honor.
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On July 26, 1839, Binder was born in Würtemmberg, Germany. Binder emigrated to New York in 1854 at the age of 15 before settling in Philadelphia, according to a 2014 article in the Hidden City Daily, an online historical publication from Philadelphia. According to the article, he collaborated as a barber with another German immigrant. He applied for and received U.S. citizenship in 1860.  ,
On July 11, 1861, just before turning 22 and about three months after the Civil War started, Binder enlisted in the Marine Corps. Binder first worked on a ship that capsized in early November 1861 during the Battle of Port Royal, South Carolina. He moved on to other ships and took part in a number of naval battles before being assigned to the USS Ticonderoga, an 1864 propeller-driven warship.  ,
Union forces launched their first assault on Fort Fisher, which is located close to Wilmington, North Carolina, on Christmas Day in 1864. The fort served as the Confederates ‘ final significant coastal stronghold because it was still able to obtain supplies despite the Union blockade. Three weeks after this skirmish, Union troops tried again after failing in the first attempt. In addition,  ,
During the second Battle of Fort Fisher, Binder was on board the USS Ticonderoga, and Union soldiers were better equipped this time. About 40 ships on the front lines fired more than 600 guns at the fort, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command. Naval historians claimed that the frigate Colorado alone had more cannons than the guns manning Fort Fisher’s walls.
On January 13, the Navy started to bombard. In retaliation, the Confederates opened fire on their own heavily. A 100-pound Parrott rifle eventually detonated on one of the Union ships, killing eight sailors and injuring at least a dozen more.  ,
According to his Medal of Honor citation, Binder, a gun captain, “performed his duties with skill and courage” during those first two days of combat. He continued to take steady action as he continuously fired at Confederate batteries on land, assisting in reducing enemy fire as the assault progressed.  ,
Naval forces arrived on the shores of Fort Fisher by January 15. Despite the fact that many of them were repelled and resulted in numerous Union casualties, the garrison of the fort was successfully diverted from the Union Army attack on the installation’s land side by their actions. One of the Confederates ‘ strongest fortifications was eventually breached by those soldiers, who then took control of it and severed the South’s transatlantic supply routes. In addition,  ,
The Naval History and Heritage Command claims that the occupation of Wilmington resulted from the fall of Fort Fisher and directly contributed to the Confederate surrender in April 1865.  , ++
Binder received an honorable discharge following the war. Although a ceremony for the award was n’t held until the 1890s, according to Hidden City Daily, he received the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 22, 1865. For their actions at Fort Fisher, nine other Ticonderoga men were also awarded Medals of Honor.  ,
Binder wed Frederika, a woman who had also emigrated from the same town in Germany years earlier, in 1868. They had two children: Laura, a daughter, and Richard Jr.  ,
Binder eventually started shaving again. He had established four stores across Philadelphia by 1890, making him a wise businessman. According to Hidden City Daily, he was well-known in the sector and even sold tonics and toupees.  ,
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Binder had 600 canes, including one that President Abraham Lincoln once used, and that he loved to collect them.  , ++
According to his Inquirer obituary, Binder passed away on February 26, 1912, from heart disease. He is interred in Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania’s West Laurel Hill Cemetery, which is close to Philadelphia. In addition,  ,
The U.S. military’s highest medal for bravery has been awarded to more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients, and this article is a part of the weekly series” Medal of Honour Monday.”