John Harris

Who is John Harris?

John Harris was a Union Navy sailor who received the Medal of Honor for his service on the USS Metacomet in Mobile Bay during the American Civil War.

Born in 1839 in Scotland, Harris was living in New York when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as a captain of the forecastle on the USS Metacomet. At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he was among the crew of a small boat sent from Metacomet to rescue survivors of the USS Tecumseh, which had been sunk by a naval mine. Despite intense fire, the boat crew was able to pull ten Tecumseh men from the water. For this action, Harris was awarded the Medal of Honor a year and a half later, on January 15, 1866. Five other members of the boat crew also received the medal: Seaman James Avery, Quarter Gunner Charles Baker, Ordinary Seaman John C. Donnelly, Seaman Henry Johnson, and Landsman Daniel Noble.