John Freeman was born in New York City, New York back in 1835. Sorry but I do not have any information as to who his parents were, where or if he went to school and so on. What of course I can tell you is the rest of the story.
He entered the military in 1861, by 1862 he was serving aboard the USS Galena. In May of that year the Union Navy sent five ships up the James River of which one of them was the USS Galena. The ships encountered heavy fire from Fort Darling that was held by the Confederates. Most of the gun crew were killed in action. John led a group who took over the operation of the guns for the remainder of the battle.
He later served at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and the USS Seminole. He retired in 1865 as an Orderly Sergeant. He died in 1910 and is buried at Arlington Cemetery.
What you may not know about John Freeman Mackie is that he was a United States Marine and the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions while aboard the Galena. While serving aboard the Seminole the medal arrived via the U.S. Postal Service. Until tomorrow keep a smile on your face, be contagious and pass it on
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