Marcus Aurelius Hanna (November 3, 1842 – December 21, 1921) was an American

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

famous for his heroism. He is the only person in history to have received both the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

and the Gold

Lifesaving Medal The Gold Lifesaving Medal and Silver Lifesaving Medal are U.S. decorations issued by the United States Coast Guard. The awards were established by Act of Congress, 20 June 1874; later authorized by . These decorations are two of the oldest med ...

Early life

Hanna was born in

Bristol, Maine Bristol, known from 1632 to 1765 as Pemaquid (; today a village within the town) is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,834 at the 2020 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Har ...

, the son of the keeper of the

Franklin Island Light Franklin Island Light is a lighthouse on Franklin Island, in Muscongus Bay, Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeas ...

. He spent his early years at the station before going off to sea at the age of ten. By 18 he had risen to the position of ship's steward.

Civil War service

When the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

began, Hanna enlisted, serving in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

for one year before being mustered out. He spent the remainder of the war fighting with various volunteer

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s. He saw action in 1863 at

Port Hudson, Louisiana Port Hudson is an unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is known primarily as the location of an American Civil War battle, the siege of Port Hudson, in 1863. ...

while serving as a sergeant with the 50th Massachusetts Infantry. During the engagement, Hanna volunteered to carry water behind the lines to the remainder of his company. This was the heaviest action he was to see during the war and for which he later received the

Lighthouse keeper

After the war, Hanna was appointed keeper of

Pemaquid Point Light The Pemaquid Point Light is a historic U.S. lighthouse located in Bristol, Lincoln County, Maine, at the tip of the Pemaquid Neck. History The lighthouse was commissioned in 1827 by President John Quincy Adams and built that year. Because of poo ...

in his hometown of Bristol, Maine in 1869. In 1873 he was transferred to Two Lights in

Cape Elizabeth, Maine Cape Elizabeth is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland–South Portland, Maine, South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, Biddeford, Mai ...

, where he served as head lightkeeper. It was while serving at Two Lights, on January 28, 1885, that he risked his life to save two sailors from the

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

''Australia'' which had wrecked on the rocks below the station. According to th
official Coast Guard website
Hanna braved a blizzard in freezing temperatures, at the risk of his life, to throw a line to the ship which was being battered against the rocks. He successfully got both sailors off the ship and brought them to the nearby fog signal house where the sailors were able to be warmed to save them from exposure and frostbite. Hanna was awarded the

Gold Lifesaving Medal The Gold Lifesaving Medal and Silver Lifesaving Medal are U.S. decorations issued by the United States Coast Guard. The awards were established by Act of Congress, 20 June 1874; later authorized by . These decorations are two of the oldest med ...

on April 25, 1885, for saving the two sailors. He also received the

in 1895, in recognition of his bravery at Port Hudson while a sergeant in the 50th Massachusetts Infantry. Hanna is the only person in history to have received both awards - the highest military and civilian decorations for heroism awarded by the United States.

Death and burial

Hanna died on December 21, 1921, and is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in

South Portland, Maine South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is sit ...

Honors

Sergeant Hanna received the following medals - *

Civil War Campaign Medal The Civil War Campaign Medal is considered the first campaign service medal of the United States Armed Forces. The decoration was awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who had served in the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. ...

In 1997 the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

named a Keeper class

buoy tender A buoy tender is a type of vessel used to maintain and replace navigational buoys. This term can also apply to an actual person who does this work. The United States Coast Guard uses buoy tenders to accomplish one of its primary missions of main ...

th
USCGC ''Marcus Hanna'' (WLM-554)
The ''Marcus Hanna'' is based in

, near the site of Hanna's rescue of the sailors from the ''Australia'' in 1885.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 50th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Place and date: At Port Hudson, La., July 4, 1863. Entered service at: Rockport, Mass. Born: November 3, 1842, Bristol, Maine. Date of issue: November 2, 1895. Citation:

Voluntarily exposed himself to a heavy fire to get water for comrades in rifle pits.

Notes

References

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanna, Marcus 1842 births 1921 deaths Union Navy sailors United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Lighthouse Service personnel People from Bristol, Maine People from South Portland, Maine United States Navy sailors People of Maine in the American Civil War Recipients of the Gold Lifesaving Medal American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor