Michael Connolly (Medal of Honor)


Michael Connolly was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

Biography

Born in 1855 in Boston, Massachusetts, Connolly joined the Navy from that state. By August 7, 1876, he was serving as an ordinary seaman on the. On that day, while Plymouth was in Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia, he rescued a civilian from drowning. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor weeks later, on August 24. He deserted from the Navy the next month, and nothing is known from him after his desertion.
Connolly's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
On board the U.S.S. Plymouth, Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia, 7 August 1876. Acting gallantly, Connolly succeeding in rescuing a citizen from drowning on this date.