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Coxswain · U.S. Navy

Oliver Albert O'Brien

Coxswain Oliver Albert O'Brien, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on November 28, 1864 at Sullivan's Island Channel, South Carolina during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War November 28, 1864

Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Coxswain Oliver Albert O'Brien received the Medal of Honor for his actions on November 28, 1864 at Sullivan's Island Channel, South Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S. Sloop John Adams. O'Brien was about 25 years old.

He later rose to the rank of Acting Master's Mate.

O'Brien was born in 1839 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. O'Brien died on October 1, 1894 in Glouchester, Massachusetts, at the age of about 55. He is buried at St. Ann's Oak Hill Cemetery in Glouchester, Massachusetts.

O'Brien 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 as coxswain on board the U.S. sloop John Adams, Sullivan's Island Channel, 28 November 1864. Taking part in the boarding of the blockade runner Beatrice while under heavy enemy fire from Fort Moultrie, O'Brien, who was in charge of one of the boarding launches, carried out his duties with prompt and energetic conduct. This action resulted in the firing of the Beatrice and the capture of a quantity of supplies from her.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Life beyond the battlefield

  • Occupations: coxswain

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Boston — map
  • Died: Gloucester — map
  • Buried: Gloucester — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →

Timeline

  1. 1839
    Born in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
  2. November 28, 1864
    Act of valor — Sullivan's Island Channel, South Carolina
    Age about 25. U.S. Sloop John Adams
  3. October 1, 1894
    Died in Glouchester, Massachusetts
    Age about 55.
  4. Resting place
    St. Ann's Oak Hill Cemetery
    Glouchester, Massachusetts

Biography

Oliver Albert O'Brien (c. 1839 – October 1, 1894) 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 capture of a blockade runner. Born in about 1839 in Boston, O'Brien was still living in that city when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a coxswain on the USS John Adams. On November 28, 1864, he was involved in the capture of the blockade runner Beatrice off Sullivan's Island in Charleston Harbor. O'Brien commanded one of the launches which approached and boarded the ship despite heavy fire from the Confederate Fort Moultrie.

From the Wikipedia article “Oliver O'Brien”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

More Civil War recipients from Massachusetts

JA John Gregory bishop Adams Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 AS Auzella Savage Ordinary Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1865 CH Charles Adams Hunter Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 William Lord Musician · Army Civil War · 1864 John F. Bickford Captain of the Top · Navy Civil War · 1864 Charles Wellington Reed Bugler · Army Civil War · 1863
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.