The First Marine Medal of Honor
He was not from New Jersey, but in honor of the 248th anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps on November 10, John Freeman Mackie of New York should be recognized as the first US Marine to receive the Medal of Honor.
Mackie, who was a silversmith before he enlisted in the Marine Corps on April 24, 1861, took his oath of office at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and was assigned to the USS Savannah. It was only weeks after the firing on Fort Sumpter that officially started the Civil War.
Mackie was transferred to the USS Galena one year later on April 1, 1862. The ship, an ironclad with three-inch-thick heavy iron plating protecting her sides, was one of five ships, including ironclads Monitor and Naugatuck, and wooden gunboats Aroostook and Port Royal, that sailed up the James River under the Command of Commander John Rodgers, Jr.
The plan was to disable the Southern forces at Fort Darling and proceed to Richmond, in the hopes that capturing the city would put an end to the war.
According to the Medal of Honor Society history, the northern Marines and sailors were surprised by an unexpected strong force of Confederate Marines and artillery at Fort Darling along with a fortress of three heavy guns.
The southern fighters could see the Galena coming up the channel, took the offensive and fired before the ship could start shelling the fort. It began a battle that lasted several hours.
. While the Galena was facing fire, the Naugatuck, came in to assist until its gun malfunctioned; the Southerners struck the two gunboats, forcing them to retreat, and the Monitor tried to get alongside the Galena to continue the battle. However, the guns on that ship could not be raised enough to hit the bluff at Fort Darling, and the ship withdrew., leaving the Galena, once again, to be fighting the battle along.
The Marine contingent, Mackie included, focused their efforts on the Confederates manning the guns, and continuing to be struck by other shots from the fort, wounding or killing many of the Marines and Galena crew.
Marines from both sides of the battle continued to barrage each other, until the ship’s guns were disabled by the stronger land artillery.
Mackie, seeing the devastation around him, took charge, moved the wounded aside and spread sand on the deck made slippery by the blood of the fallen fighters. Under his direction, the twelve Marines under his command followed suit and were able to re-enable the guns and send a volley to the fort’s casemates, knocking one gun out of service.
Mackie survived the battle, Richmond remained under Southern control for three more years and the war continued. The Marine was reassigned to the USS Seminole where he received the Medal of Honor, off Sabine Pass, Texas.
Corporal John Freeman Mackie survived the war and died June 18, 1910. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, Pa.
Citation
While board the U.S.S. Galena in the attack on Fort Darling, at Drewry’s Bluff, James River, on 15 May 1862. As enemy shellfire raked the deck of his ship, Cpl. Mackie fearlessly maintained his musket fire against the rifle pits along the shore and, when ordered to fill vacancies at guns caused by men wounded and killed in action, manned the weapon with skill and courage.
Medal of Honor Recipients from New Jersey HERE
