Years of service 1880- 1895 Awards Medal of Honor Died September 20, 1963 | Role Medal of Honor Name John Morris Rank Corporal | |
Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Marine Corps | ||
John Morris (born January 25, 1855 or February 12, 1862 was a Corporal serving in the United States Marine Corps serving aboard the USS Lancaster (1858) who received the Medal of Honor for saving another sailor from drowning.
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Biography
Morris was born between January 25, 1855 and February 12, 1862 in Dublin, Ireland but immigrated to the United States. In November 1880 he joined the Marine Corps from Brooklyn, New York and was assigned to the marine contingent aboard the USS Lancaster. When the ship was at Villefranche, France, December 25, 1881 an ordinary seaman and prisoner named Robert Blizzard attempted to escape custody by jumping overboard. Corporal Morris jumped into the water afterwards to save Blizzard from drowning and for his actions he received the Medal of Honor October 18, 1884. Morris was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps April 20, 1895.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 25 January 1855, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884.
Citation:
For leaping overboard from the U.S. Flagship Lancaster, at Villefranche, France, 25 December 1881, and rescuing from drowning Robert Blizzard, ordinary seaman, a prisoner, who had jumped overboard.