Robert Augustus Sweeney
Encyclopedia
Robert Augustus Sweeney (February 20, 1853 – December 19, 1890) was a sailor in the United States Navy
and is one of only nineteen servicemen, and the only African American
, to receive the Medal of Honor
twice, both for peace-time actions.
, Canada, Sweeney immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from New Jersey
. By October 26, 1881, he was serving as an ordinary seaman on the . While Kearsarge was anchored in Hampton Roads
on that day, Seaman E.M. Christoverson fell from a Jacob's ladder
attached to the ship's lower boom
and landed in the water. Christoverson's inability to swim, combined with a strong tidal current and rough seas, led to him quickly beginning to sink. Seeing this, Sweeney jumped overboard without hesitation and went to his aid. In his panic, Christoverson latched onto Sweeney and dragged him under the water. Sweeney was able to break free, but was grabbed and dragged under a second time. One of Kearsarges officers, Cadet Midshipman John B. Bernadon, then dove into the water and swam to help the men. Together, Sweeney and Bernadon were able to keep Christoverson afloat and, once their shipmates had thrown them a rope, pulled him back aboard ship. For this action, Sweeney was awarded his first Medal of Honor six days later, on November 1.
On December 20, 1883, while serving on the at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
, he and a shipmate, Landsman J. W. Norris
, jumped into the water and rescued A.A. George, who had fallen overboard. Both Sweeney and Norris were awarded the Medal of Honor the next year, on October 18, 1884, for this act.
Sweeney died on December 19, 1890, at age 37 and was buried at Calvary Cemetery
in Queens, New York.
His second citation:
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and is one of only nineteen servicemen, and the only African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, to receive the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
twice, both for peace-time actions.
Biography
Born on February 20, 1853, in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada, Sweeney immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. By October 26, 1881, he was serving as an ordinary seaman on the . While Kearsarge was anchored in Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on that day, Seaman E.M. Christoverson fell from a Jacob's ladder
Jacob's ladder (nautical)
The term Jacob's ladder applies to a kind of ladder found on some square rigged ships. To climb above the lower mast to the topmast and above, sailors must get around the top, a platform projecting from the mast. Although on many ships the only way round was the overhanging futtock shrouds,...
attached to the ship's lower boom
Boom (sailing)
In sailing, a boom is a spar , along the foot of a fore and aft rigged sail, that greatly improves control of the angle and shape of the sail. The primary action of the boom is to keep the foot of the sail flatter when the sail angle is away from the centerline of the boat. The boom also serves...
and landed in the water. Christoverson's inability to swim, combined with a strong tidal current and rough seas, led to him quickly beginning to sink. Seeing this, Sweeney jumped overboard without hesitation and went to his aid. In his panic, Christoverson latched onto Sweeney and dragged him under the water. Sweeney was able to break free, but was grabbed and dragged under a second time. One of Kearsarges officers, Cadet Midshipman John B. Bernadon, then dove into the water and swam to help the men. Together, Sweeney and Bernadon were able to keep Christoverson afloat and, once their shipmates had thrown them a rope, pulled him back aboard ship. For this action, Sweeney was awarded his first Medal of Honor six days later, on November 1.
On December 20, 1883, while serving on the at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
, he and a shipmate, Landsman J. W. Norris
J. W. Norris
-External links:...
, jumped into the water and rescued A.A. George, who had fallen overboard. Both Sweeney and Norris were awarded the Medal of Honor the next year, on October 18, 1884, for this act.
Calvary Cemetery, Queens
The Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery in Queens has the largest number of interments of any cemetery in the United States.The offices of Calvary Cemetery are located at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd. in Woodside in the New York City borough of Queens, New York. The cemetery is managed by the Trustees of...
in Queens, New York.
Medal of Honor citation
Sweeney's first citation reads:Serving on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge, at Hampton Roads, Va., 26 October 1881, Sweeney jumped overboard and assisted in saving from drowning a shipmate who had fallen overboard into a strongly running tide.
His second citation:
Serving on board the U.S.S. Jamestown, at the Navy Yard New York, 20 December 1883, Sweeney rescued from drowning A. A. George, who had fallen overboard from that vessel.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients during Peacetime
- List of African American Medal of Honor recipients