Landsman John Jones was a sailor in the U.S. Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on December 30, 1862 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Rhode Island. Jones was 21 years old.
5 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Jones was born on August 25, 1841 in New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Acton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Jones died on August 15, 1907 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at the age of 65. He is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Portsmouth, Louisiana.
Jones is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Served on board the U.S.S. Rhode Island which was engaged in saving the lives of the officers and crew of the Monitor, 30 December 1862. Participating in the hazardous rescue of the officers and crew of the sinking Monitor, Jones, after rescuing several of the men, became separated in a heavy gale with other members of the cutter that had set out from the Rhode Island, and spent many hours in the small boat at the mercy of the weather and the high seas until finally picked up by a schooner 50 miles east of Cape Hatteras.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →
Timeline
- August 25, 1841Born in New York
- December 30, 1862Act of valor — off Cape Hatteras, North CarolinaAge 21. U.S.S. Rhode Island
- August 15, 1907Died in Portsmouth, New HampshireAge 65.
- Resting placeSt. Mary's CemeteryPortsmouth, Louisiana
Biography
John Jones (August 25, 1841 – August 15, 1907) 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.
From the Wikipedia article “John Jones (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
