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Robert M Blair

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Name
  
Robert Blair

Awards
  
Medal of Honor

Rank
  
Boatswain's mate


Robert M. Blair

Place of burial
  
Enid Cemetery, Enid, Oklahoma

Battles/wars
  
American Civil War  • Second Battle of Fort Fisher

Died
  
1899, Enid, Oklahoma, United States

Battles and wars
  
American Civil War, Second Battle of Fort Fisher

Service/branch
  
United States Navy, Union Navy

Allegiance
  
United States of America, Union

Robert M. Blair (1836 – 1899) was a sailor in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.

Contents

Military service

Blair volunteered for service in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Union side-wheel gunboat USS Pontoosuc (1864). His enlistment is credited to the state of Maine.

On January 15, 1865, the North Carolina Confederate stronghold of Fort Fisher was taken by a combined Union storming party of sailors, marines, and soldiers under the command of Admiral David Dixon Porter and General Alfred Terry. Blair was exposed to enemy fire while serving on the deck of the Pontoosuc.

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Boatswain's Mate Robert M. Blair, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving on board the U.S.S. Pontoosuc during the capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington, North Carolina, 24 December 1864 to 22 January 1865. Carrying out his duties faithfully throughout this period, Boatswain's Mate Blair was recommended for gallantry and skill and for his cool courage while under the fire of the enemy throughout these actions.

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 59 (June 22, 1865)

Action Date: January 15, 1865

Service: Navy

Rank: Boatswain’s Mate

Division: U.S.S. Pontoosuc

References

Robert M. Blair Wikipedia