Seaman Charles Mills, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on January 15, 1865 at Fort Fisher, North Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Minnesota. Mills was about 25 years old.
30 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Mills was born in September 1840 in Ulster, Ulster County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. Mills died on January 16, 1887 in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of about 47. He is buried at Evergreens Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Mills is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the U.S.S. Minnesota, in action during the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Landing on the beach with the assaulting party from his ship, Mills charged up the palisades and, when more than two-thirds of the men became seized with panic and retreated on the run, risked his life to remain with a wounded officer. With the enemy concentrating his fire on the group, he waited until after dark before assisting the wounded officer from the field.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- September 1840Born in Ulster, Ulster County, New York
- January 15, 1865Act of valor — Fort Fisher, North CarolinaAge about 25. U.S.S. Minnesota
- January 16, 1887Died in Brooklyn, New YorkAge about 47.
- Resting placeEvergreens CemeteryBrooklyn, New York
Biography
Charles Mills (September 1, 1840 – unknown) was a U.S. sailor stationed aboard the USS Minnesota during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.
From the Wikipedia article “Charles Mills (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
