John Jones (MOH)

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John Jones
born 1837
Ordinary Seaman John Jones
Ordinary Seaman John Jones
Place of birth Bridgeport, Connecticut
Allegiance United States Navy
Rank Ordinary Seaman
Unit USS Rhode Island
Battles/wars American Civil War
Awards Medal of Honor

John Jones (born 1837, date of death unknown) 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.

As a Landsman serving on the USS Rhode Island, Jones assisted in the rescue of crew from the sinking ironclad Monitor.

Landsman Jones' official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Served on board the U.S.S. Rhode Island, which was engaged in saving the lives of the officers and crew of the Monitor, 30 December 1862. Participating in the hazardous rescue of the officers and crew of the sinking Monitor, Jones, after rescuing several of the men, became separated in a heavy gale with other members of the cutter that had set out from the Rhode Island, and spent many hours in the small boat at the mercy of the weather and high seas until finally picked up by a schooner 50 miles east of Cape Hatteras

Jones later reached the rank of Ordinary Seaman. He is buried in an unmarked grave in St. Mary's Cemetery, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

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This article includes information collected from the Naval Historical Center, which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.