David Lewis Gifford (September 18, 1844 – January 13, 1904) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown on May 24, 1864, while serving as a Private with Company B, 4th Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry, at Ashepoo River, South Carolina. His Medal of Honor was issued on January 21, 1897. He received his Medal of Honor following the steamer the USS Boston running aground on an Oyster bed, leaving 400 individuals within range of Confederate artillery. Gifford and four other men - led by George W. Brush - manned a small boat and ferried stranded soldiers to a safe area. Gifford was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts on September 18, 1844, and joined the Army in December 1863. He was transferred to the Navy in June 1864, and was discharged with the rank of ordinary seaman in August 1865. Gifford died at the age of 59, on January 13, 1904, and was buried at the South Dartmouth Cemetery in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Where he was honored with a marker. He was additionally honored with a statue outside the Dartmouth Middle School, a project spearheaded by Dartmouth natives Doris Copley, and Beverly Morrison Glennon. His heroics were also the subject of a local Television film in Dartmouth. Medal of Honor citation See Also • List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: G–L References External links 1844 births 1904 deaths Burials in Massachusetts People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Dartmouth, Massachusetts Union Navy sailors