Years of service 1868–1873 Name James Stewart Awards Medal of Honor | Unit USS Plymouth Rank Sergeant | |
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Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Marine Corps | ||
James A. Stewart (born 1839, year of death unknown) was a United States Marine and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1839, Stewart joined the Marine Corps from Washington, D.C. on April 13, 1868. By February 1, 1872, he was serving as a corporal on the USS Plymouth. On that day, while Plymouth was in the harbor of Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, Stewart jumped overboard and rescued a midshipman named Osterhaus from drowning. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor eight months later, on October 10. Stewart was discharged from the Marine Corps as a sergeant on July 11, 1873.
Stewart's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Serving on board the U.S.S. Plymouth, Stewart jumped overboard in the harbor of Villefranche, France, 1 February 1872 and saved Midshipman Osterhaus from drowning.