James Miller (Medal of Honor)

For other people named James Miller, see James Miller (disambiguation).

James Miller
James Miller
Born	(1836-09-21)September 21, 1836 Denmark
Died	March 4, 1914(1914-03-04) (aged 77)
Place of burial	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service / branch	United States Navy Union Navy
Rank	Quartermaster
Unit	USS Marblehead
Battles / wars	American Civil War
Awards	Medal of Honor

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 USS Marblehead. During an engagement with Confederate forces on John's Island (near Legareville, South Carolina) by the Stono River 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 USS Miller (DD-535), 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

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command.

• "US People - Miller, James, Quartermaster, USN". Online Library. Naval History & Heritage Command. 2003-06-10. Retrieved 2006-11-20.

• "James Miller at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum". Retrieved September 29, 2010.
• "James Miller". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved August 28, 2011.