James Miller (September 21, 1836 – March 4, 1914) 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.
Biography
Of
Norwegian descent, Miller was born in
Denmark on September 21, 1836, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy from
Massachusetts. He served aboard the steam gunboat . During the
Battle of Legareville
The Battle of Legareville was fought on December 25, 1863, during the American Civil War. Confederate forces tried to surprise Union forces near Legareville on Johns Island, but failed to destroy the federal forces or drive them away from Lega ...
on
John's Island
Johns Island is an island in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, and is the largest island in the state of South Carolina. Johns Island is bordered by the Wadmalaw, Seabrook, Kiawah, Edisto, Folly, and James islands; the Stono an ...
(near
Legareville,
South Carolina) by the
Stono River
The Stono River or Creek is a tidal channel in southeast South Carolina, located southwest of Charleston. The channel runs southwest to northeast between the mainland and Wadmalaw Island and Johns Island, from north Edisto River between Johns ...
on December 25, 1863, he continued to take soundings while under fire. For his conduct on this occasion, Quartermaster James Miller received the
Medal of Honor and promoted to Acting
Master's Mate.
Miller died on March 4, 1914, at age 77 and was buried in
Philadelphia. The destroyer , which served in
World War II and the
Korean War, was named in his honor.
Medal of Honor citation
Quartermaster Miller's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Served as quartermaster on board the U.S. Steam Gunboat ''Marblehead'' off Legareville, Stono River, December 25, 1863, during an engagement with the enemy on John's Island. Acting courageously under the fierce hostile fire, Miller behaved gallantly throughout the engagement which resulted in the enemy's withdrawal and abandonment of its arms.
See also
*
List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: M–P
Notes
References
:
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1836 births
1914 deaths
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Union Navy sailors
People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War
Quartermasters
Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients
Danish emigrants to the United States
American people of Norwegian descent
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
{{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub