Commander James Harmon Ward (September 25, 1806 – June 27, 1861) was the first officer of the United States Navy who was killed during the American Civil War.
Born at Hartford, Connecticut, Ward received his early educational training in Connecticut common schools before attending the American Literary Scientific and Military Academy at Norwich, Vermont. After graduating in 1823, Ward accepted an appointment as a midshipman in the Navy on March 4, 1823. Subsequently, he served on the frigate Constitution during a four-year Mediterranean cruise and then received a year’s leave of absence for scientific studies at Washington College, Hartford, Connecticut (now Trinity College).
On June 27, at the Battle of Mathias Point, Ward sent a landing party ashore to dislodge Southern forces from another battery at Mathias Point, in King George County, Virginia, but it encountered heavy resistance. The Federals gave up the attack and retired under heavy sniper and cannon fire to their ships. Ward brought his flotilla in close to the shoreline to provide gunfire support for the retreating landing party. As he was sighting the bow gun in his flagship, Thomas Freeborn, Ward was struck by a bullet in his abdomen and fell to the deck, mortally wounded. He died within an hour.