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 A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...

. 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 . On November 28, 1864, he was involved in the capture of the

''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. ''Beatrice's'' equipment was then confiscated and the ship set afire. For these actions, O'Brien was awarded the Medal of Honor a month later on December 31, 1864. O'Brien's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

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.

O'Brien was promoted to acting master's mate before leaving the Navy. He died on October 1, 1894, at age 54 or 55 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Oliver 1830s births 1894 deaths Military personnel from Boston People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor