Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Electrician Third Class Edward Allen Gisburne received the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 21, 1914 in Vera Cruz, Mexico during the 1914 Veracruz expedition. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Florida. Gisburne was 21 years old.
40 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on January 1915. Medal mailed to him sometime in January 1915 as he wasn't present at the January 6, 1915, ceremony on the USS Florida at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. He later rose to the rank of Lieutenant.
Gisburne was born on June 14, 1892 in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island. His Medal of Honor is credited to Massachusetts. Gisburne died on June 29, 1955, at the age of 63. He is buried at Milton Cemetery in Milton, Massachusetts.
Gisburne is one of 56 Medal of Honor recipients from the 1914 Veracruz expedition and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the U.S.S. Florida during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21-22 April 1914, and for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during this action.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: World War I, World War II.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →
From the archives
Additional information on his action comes from U.S. Navy General Order No. 101, dated June 15, 1914: "Referring to the occasion when Private Haggerty was mortally wounded: when he fell, an electrician 3d class (radio) from [U.S.S.] Florida, named Gisburne, attempted to pull Haggerty to a place of safety, and, although himself wounded while so doing, continued his efforts under fire."
U.S. Navy General Order No. 116, dated August 19, 1914, relates the Private Haggerty was Private Daniel Haggerty, U.S. Marine Corps, who had been shot on the roof of the Terminal Hotel, where a group of U.S. Naval signalmen and U.S. Marines were stationed to relay information among the American elements. Gisburne was "shot and badly wounded" and Seaman Berrie H. Jarrett "removed him to a place of safety." Jarrett would receive the Medal of Honor for his actions on the rooftop as well.
Timeline
- June 14, 1892Born in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island
- April 21, 1914Act of valor — Vera Cruz, MexicoAge 21. U.S.S. Florida
- January 1915Medal of Honor presentedMedal mailed to him sometime in January 1915 as he wasn't present at the January 6, 1915, ceremony on the USS Florida at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York.
- June 29, 1955DiedAge 63.
- Resting placeMilton CemeteryMilton, Massachusetts
Biography
Edward Allen "Eddie" Gisburne (June 14, 1892 – August 29, 1955) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his role in the battle which began the U.S. occupation of Veracruz, Mexico. He earned the medal as an enlisted man for ignoring heavy fire and his own severe injuries to drag a wounded marine to safety. Although he lost his left leg in the fight, he went on to complete two more terms of service with the Navy, one as a radio operator during World War I and another as a 50-year-old commissioned officer in World War II.
From the Wikipedia article “Edward A. Gisburne”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
