James Miller (Medal of Honor)

James Miller (September 21, 1836 – March 4, 1914) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the American Civil War.

For other people named James Miller, see James Miller (disambiguation).
James Miller
James Miller
Born(1836-09-21)September 21, 1836
Denmark
DiedMarch 4, 1914(1914-03-04) (aged 77)
Place of burial
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
AllegianceUnited States of America
Union
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Union Navy
RankQuartermaster
Unit USS Marblehead
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
AwardsMedal of Honor

Biography

Of Norwegian descent, Miller was born in Denmark on September 21, 1836, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy from Massachusetts. He served aboard the steam gunboat USS Marblehead. During the Battle of Legareville on John's Island (near Legareville, South Carolina) by the Stono River on December 25, 1863, he continued to take soundings while under fire. For his conduct on this occasion, Quartermaster James Miller received the Medal of Honor and promoted to Acting Master's Mate.

Miller died on March 4, 1914, at age 77 and was buried in Philadelphia. The destroyer USS Miller (DD-535), which served in World War II and the Korean War, was named in his honor.

Medal of Honor citation

Quartermaster Miller's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Served as quartermaster on board the U.S. Steam Gunboat Marblehead off Legareville, Stono River, December 25, 1863, during an engagement with the enemy on John's Island. Acting courageously under the fierce hostile fire, Miller behaved gallantly throughout the engagement which resulted in the enemy's withdrawal and abandonment of its arms.[1]

See also

Notes
  1. "United States Medals of Honor - Miller, James, Quartermaster, USN". Medal of Honor website. United States Army Center of Military History. 2007-07-16. Archived from the original on 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2007-09-15.

References
 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command.


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