Michael Joseph McNally (June 29, 1860 – November 2, 1916) was a

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

who received 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. ...

for actions during the Second Samoan Civil War. McNally was part of a joint British, American and Samoan expedition against Samoan rebels on Upolu, Samoa in mid-1899. He fought at the

First Battle of Vailele During the first Samoan Civil War from 1888 to 1894 German warships shelled and destroyed a large amount of villages loyal to Mata'afa Iosefo. The Samoans were outraged leading to the First Battle of Vailele which occurred on 18 December 1888 at ...

on April 1, 1899, and was subsequently awarded the Medal of Honor along with Private

Henry L. Hulbert Henry Lewis Hulbert (January 12, 1867 – October 4, 1918) was a United States Marine who served during the Second Samoan Civil War and World War I. As a private, he received the Medal of Honor for distinguished service in Samoa on April 1, 189 ...

. Both McNally's and Hulbert's citations incorrectly list them as serving in the Philippines during the time of their distinguished service though they served on , which was never dispatched to fight in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. McNally joined the Marine Corps from Mare Island, California in December 1897, and retired in January 1915.USMC History Division On the night of 1 and 2 November 1916, he disappeared from a Baltimore Steam Packet Company steamer; his body was recovered some three weeks later, and he was buried in

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: June 29, 1860, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 55, July 19, 1901.
Citation:

For distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy at Samoa, Philippine Islands, 1 April 1899.

References

Awards

Note

McNally is sometimes erroneously referred to as Michael L. McNally. 1860 births 1910s missing person cases 1916 deaths Formerly missing people Military personnel from New York City Missing person cases in the United States People who died at sea Samoan Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients United States Marines {{USMC-bio-stub

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

Awards

Note