Alexander Bradley

Alexander Bradley was a United States Navy sailor who received the Medal of Honor for attempting to save a fellow sailor from drowning near Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, on 7 August 1872. Serving aboard USS Wachusett as a landsman, he jumped into a strong tidal current to assist Philip Cassidy of USS Wabash. His award recognised courage during a peacetime emergency.

Bradley was a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and his Medal of Honor was accredited to that state. He is also recorded under the name Cornelius “Neil” Bonner. His birth date remains disputed: the Congressional Medal of Honor Society lists 19 September 1851, while the United States Army’s published citation compilation gives 1855. The available evidence does not resolve that discrepancy, so an exact age at the time of his rescue attempt cannot be stated confidently.

By August 1872, Bradley was serving aboard Wachusett with the naval rating of Landsman. This is the rating recorded in his Medal of Honor citation and the verified title used for his military profile. A complete chronology of his enlistment, assignments and discharge has not been established in the records reviewed.

On 7 August 1872, while Wachusett was off Cowes, Bradley entered the water in an effort to prevent Philip Cassidy, a landsman attached to Wabash, from drowning. The official citation specifically describes a strong tideway, establishing the difficult conditions in which he acted. It credits Bradley with attempting the rescue but does not establish that Cassidy survived. His deed should therefore be described as a courageous rescue attempt rather than a confirmed successful rescue.

Bradley’s Medal of Honor was announced through General Order No. 180, dated 10 October 1872, approximately two months after the incident. The award was made during his lifetime. Its basis was his conduct in the water off Cowes, rather than participation in a battle or campaign.

His individually verified decoration is one Medal of Honor, Navy. No additional award device or clasp is documented in the records reviewed. Other campaign medals, service medals, good-conduct awards and foreign decorations have not been individually confirmed. This establishes the award presently supported by evidence without claiming that his complete lifetime medal entitlement has been reconstructed.

Bradley’s Medal of Honor falls within the historical category commonly described as “Interim 1871–1899.” This is a period classification, not the name of a war. His verified rescue attempt does not establish combat service, battlefield command, captivity or service in multiple military branches. Those aspects of his career remain unconfirmed rather than proven absent.

Bradley died on 6 March 1925 in Akron, Ohio, and was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Akron, with his burial location recorded as 7-110. His connection to Boston reflects his origins, while Akron marks the closing chapter of his life.

His place in naval history rests on a brief but significant act of courage: entering dangerous water to try to save another sailor. The Medal of Honor preserves recognition of that decision, even though the surviving citation leaves the outcome of the rescue unstated.