Gideon Welles

Imagine a super important job helping the President! Gideon Welles had one of those jobs. He was in charge of the United States Navy from 1861 to 1869. That's a long time! He was like the captain of the whole navy, making sure the ships were ready for anything. He got this big job because he helped Abraham Lincoln become President. Lincoln even called him 'Neptune', like the Roman god of the sea!

When Gideon Welles started, the Navy wasn't as big as it is now. But during his time, it grew super, super fast! It got almost ten times bigger! That's like going from having one toy car to having ten toy cars. He made sure America had lots of strong ships to protect the country. This was super important when the country was going through a tough time called the Civil War.

Gideon Welles had a big job during the Civil War. He helped make sure that ships from the South couldn't easily get supplies or send out cotton. It was like putting a giant net around the coast to stop things from going in or out. This made it much harder for the South to get the things they needed for the war. Many people think this was a big reason why the North won the war.

Gideon Welles also helped create something really special: the Medal of Honor! This is the highest award someone can get for being super brave in the military. It's given to people who do amazing, courageous things, even when they are in danger. So, thanks to Gideon Welles, brave sailors and soldiers get recognized for their incredible bravery. He helped make sure heroes were remembered!