JOHN F. MACKIE

'John Freeman Mackie' (October 1 1835 – June 18 1910) was a United States Marine and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the American Civil War. He was the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor.^[1]
Mackie enlisted in the Marine Corps from New York on August 23 1861. By 1862, he held the rank of Corporal and was serving on the ironclad warship USS ''Galena''. On May 15 1862, a five-ship Union Navy squadron, including the ''Galena'', steamed up the James River to test the defenses of the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia. After reaching a bend in the river upstream of Dutch Gap, the squadron encountered submerged obstacles and heavy fire from Fort Darling, atop Drewry's Bluff. The fort's artillery batteries inflicted severe damage on the ''Galena'' and forced the Union squadron to turn back. During the battle (which would come to be known as the Battle of Drewry's Bluff), most of ''Galena's naval gun crew was killed or wounded. Mackie led a group of Marines who took over operation of the guns for the remainder of the battle.
Corporal Mackie's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Mackie later served at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and aboard the USS ''Seminole''. It was aboard the ''Seminole'' that he received his Medal of Honor on July 10 1863. Mackie rose to the rank of Orderly Sergeant before receiving an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps on August 24 1865, after four years of service.
Mackie eventually married and settled near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died at the age of 74 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery Co, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. At Drewry's Bluff, now within Richmond National Battlefield Park, a marker is posted which features Mackie's Medal of Honor action.

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References

1. Marine Corps Medal of Honor



★ John Freeman Mackie (1836 - 1910)