Ship's Printer John McCarton, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on January 4, 1882 off Coasters Harbor Island, Newport, Rhode Island — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1871 - 1899 period. At the time he was serving with U.S. Training Ship New Hampshire. McCarton was about 35 years old.
One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
McCarton was born in 1847 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York. McCarton died on December 22, 1887 in Newport, Rhode Island, at the age of about 40. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
For jumping overboard from the U.S. training ship New Hampshire off Coasters Harbor Island, near Newport, R.I., 4 January 1882, and endeavoring to rescue Jabez Smith, second class musician, from drowning.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Places
- Born: Brooklyn — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- 1847Born in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
- January 4, 1882Act of valor — off Coasters Harbor Island, Newport, Rhode IslandAge about 35. U.S. Training Ship New Hampshire
- December 22, 1887Died in Newport, Rhode IslandAge about 40.
- Resting placeHoly Cross CemeteryBrooklyn, New York
Biography
John McCarton (c. 1847–1887) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.
From the Wikipedia article “John McCarton”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →