Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Quarter Gunner George Holt received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 3, 1871 at Hamburg Harbor, Germany — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1871 - 1899 period. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Plymouth. Holt was about 31 years old.
One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Holt was born in 1840 in Kentucky. Holt died on August 26, 1875 in Chelsea, Massachusetts, at the age of about 35.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the U.S.S. Plymouth, Hamburg Harbor, 3 July 1871. Jumping overboard at the imminent risk of his life, Holt, with a comrade, rescued from drowning one of a party who was thrown from a shore boat into a four-knot running tide while the boat was coming alongside the ship.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Places
- Born: Louisville — map
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Timeline
- 1840Born in Kentucky
- July 3, 1871Act of valor — Hamburg Harbor, GermanyAge about 31. U.S.S. Plymouth
- August 26, 1875Died in Chelsea, MassachusettsAge about 35.
Biography
George Holt (born c. 1840, year of death unknown) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Born in Louisville, Kentucky in about 1840, Holt later joined the Navy from that state. By July 3, 1871, he was serving as a quarter gunner on the USS Plymouth. On that day, while the Plymouth was at the Port of Hamburg, Germany, a small boat approached the ship in a strong current. When the boat capsized, Holt and another sailor, Landsman Paul Tobin, jumped overboard and rescued one of the boat's crewmen. For this action, both he and Tobin were awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on October 10, 1872.
From the Wikipedia article “George Holt (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →