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Seaman · U.S. Navy

John Osborne

Seaman John Osborne, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on August 21, 1876 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Interim 1871–1899).

Seaman John Osborne, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on August 21, 1876 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1871 - 1899 period. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Juniata. Osborne was about 32 years old.

Osborne was born in 1844 in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana. His Medal of Honor is credited to Louisiana.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Serving on board the U.S.S. Juniata, Osborne displayed gallant conduct in rescuing from drowning an enlisted boy of that vessel, at Philadelphia, Pa., 21 August 1876.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Places

  • Born: New Orleans — map
  • Buried: Arlington National Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Louisiana →

From the archives

For years, the gravesite of a veteran by the name of "John Osborne" buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA, has been marked by a Medal of Honor headstone. Subsequent research has shown that the headstone is in error. The man buried in section 17, gravesite 19689 at Arlington National Cemetery was not in the service at the time the Medal of Honor was earned. The search is on for the actual gravesite of the Medal of Honor recipient.

Timeline

  1. 1844
    Born in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana
  2. August 21, 1876
    Act of valor — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Age about 32. U.S.S. Juniata

Biography

John Osborne (c. 1844 – April 23, 1920) 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 Osborne (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

More Interim 1871–1899 recipients from Louisiana

Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.