Serving as a Marine in the U.S. Marine Corps, Private John Coleman received the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 11, 1871 in Korean Forts, Korea during the 1871 Korean expedition. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Colorado. Coleman was 23 years old.
11 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Coleman was born on October 9, 1847 in County Cork, Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to California. Coleman died on October 30, 1904 in San Francisco, California, at the age of 57. He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in San Francisco, California.
Coleman is one of 15 Medal of Honor recipients from the 1871 Korean expedition and one of 142 credited to California.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the U.S.S. Colorado in action at Korea, 11 June 1871. Fighting hand-to-hand with the enemy, Coleman succeeded in saving the life of Alexander McKenzie.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
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Places
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Timeline
- October 9, 1847Born in County Cork, Ireland
- June 11, 1871Act of valor — Korean Forts, KoreaAge 23. U.S.S. Colorado
- October 30, 1904Died in San Francisco, CaliforniaAge 57.
- Resting placeMt. Hope CemeterySan Francisco, California
Biography
John Coleman (October 9, 1847 – October 30, 1904) was a United States Marine who received the United States military's highest decoration for bravery—the Medal of Honor—for his actions during the Korean Expedition. He was Irish-born, and received the Medal for saving the life of Boatswain's Mate Alexander McKenzie while under enemy attack on the USS Colorado. Coleman joined the Union Army in July 1863, claiming to be 18 years old. He served with the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment and 3rd New York Provisional Cavalry Regiment until mustering out in September 1865. He enlisted in the Marine Corps from Brooklyn in January 1870, and retired in August 1893.
From the Wikipedia article “John Coleman (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
