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Medal of Honor Recipient

James Benson

U.S. Navy · Interim 1871 - 1899

MOH-RC-003345Source-based record

The award

Representative medal image: early Navy star design and striped ribbon. Not a portrait or a photograph of this recipient’s own medal.
Navy Medal of HonorAction-era reference: 1872

Portrait not yet available. Representative medal shown.

About this image

Presentation date is not usable for design selection. This is an action-era reference; a later presentation or replacement medal may differ.

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Medal of Honor

June 20, 1872

off the coast of Chile, Chile

Rank at action
Seaman
Service
U.S. Navy
Conflict
Interim 1871 - 1899
Unit or command
U.S.S. Ossipee

The Citation

Sources ↓
On board the U.S.S. Ossipee, 20 June 1872. Risking his life, Benson leaped into the sea while the ship was going at a speed of 4 knots and endeavored to save John K. Smith, landsman, of the same vessel, from drowning.

Sources & record notes

General Order comparison: pending. Current-profile review does not mean that the underlying original order has been examined.

  1. James Benson — Congressional Medal of Honor Society recipient profile ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society · Checked 2026-09-02

    current identity, service, action metadata, and citation comparison

Transcription, metadata & provenance notes
Award ID
MOH-AW-003360
Transcription status
Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
Last source check
2026-09-02
Recorded order reference (not verified against the original)
180
Entered service at
Yokohama, Japan
Archive transcription SHA-256
8ebaa409e17f7e1e9b8f6e775e3554647fd1de777b36fdfd6dc6a12ffaa548e3

Legacy transcription retained without substantive editing; rendered current reference profile comparison is documented in the Phase 10 evidence snapshot.

Current official reference profile confirms identity and core action metadata; exact legacy citation text and checksum are retained; General Order comparison remains pending.

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