Captain of the Forecastle John P. Erickson, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on February 22, 1865 in Forts Fisher & Wilmington, North Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Pontoosuc. Erickson was about 39 years old.
One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Erickson was born in 1826 in Sweden — one of 17 recipients born in Sweden. His Medal of Honor is credited to Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. Erickson died on August 2, 1907 in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of about 81. He is buried at The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Erickson is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Served on board the U.S.S. Pontoosuc during the capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington, 24 December 1864 to 22 February 1865. Carrying out his duties faithfully throughout this period, Erickson was so severely wounded in the assault upon Fort Fisher that he was sent to the hospital at Portsmouth, Va. Erickson was recommended for his gallantry, skill, and coolness in action while under the fire of the enemy.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and injuries
What the citation records about his wounds:
Carrying out his duties faithfully throughout this period, Erickson was so severely wounded in the assault upon Fort Fisher that he was sent to the hospital at Portsmouth, Va. Erickson was recommended for his gallantry, skill, and coolness in action while under the fire of the enemy.
- Age at death: about 81
- Resting place: The Green-Wood Cemetery
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- 1826Born in Sweden
- February 22, 1865Act of valor — Forts Fisher & Wilmington, North CarolinaAge about 39. U.S.S. Pontoosuc
- August 2, 1907Died in Brooklyn, New YorkAge about 81.
- Resting placeThe Green-Wood CemeteryBrooklyn, New York
Biography
John P. Erickson (June 30, 1825 – August 2, 1907) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Wilmington Campaign. Born in 1825 in Sweden, Erickson immigrated to the U.S. and was living in Brooklyn when he joined the Navy. He served as a captain of the forecastle on the USS Pontoosuc in the Wilmington Campaign, from the First Battle of Fort Fisher on December 24, 1864, through the campaign's end on February 22, 1865. He was severely wounded and received treatment at a hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia.
From the Wikipedia article “John P. Erickson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
