Archibald Molbone

At Petersburg on April 2, 1865, Sergeant Archibald Molbone volunteered for a picked artillery detachment that went forward with the infantry assault. The men seized Confederate guns and turned them against the enemy.

Archibald Molbone was born May 3, 1840, at West Greenwich, Rhode Island. During the period relevant to his Medal of Honor, he served as Sergeant with Company G, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery.

On April 2, 1865, at Petersburg, Virginia, he performed the action that led to the award. The surviving record fixes the core event clearly and allows the account to be told without adding unsupported detail.

Medal of Honor Citation

Joined a picked detachment of artillerymen in the assault and helped turn captured enemy guns against their former owners.

The Medal of Honor was presented June 20, 1866. He died February 28, 1912. He was buried in Bennett Gardner Cemetery in Scituate, Rhode Island.

His record is strongest when kept close to the documented action: the unit, place, date, and conduct for which the Medal of Honor was awarded.