Charles Mills

The Sailor Who Stayed Behind to Save a Wounded Officer

Charles Mills was a United States Navy sailor who received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery during the American Civil War. Serving as a Seaman aboard USS Minnesota, he distinguished himself during the Union assault on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, on January 15, 1865. When the attacking naval force came under heavy Confederate fire and most of the men retreated, Mills remained beside a wounded officer rather than abandon him. He stayed under enemy fire until darkness provided an opportunity to help the injured man leave the battlefield.

Born in September 1840 in Ulster, New York, Mills entered naval service during the American Civil War. His enlistment was credited to Brooklyn, New York. The surviving historical record provides limited information about his childhood, education, and life before joining the Navy.

Mills served aboard USS Minnesota, a Union steam frigate assigned to operations along the Atlantic coast. During the war, the vessel supported the Union blockade and participated in campaigns against Confederate coastal defenses.

By late 1864, Fort Fisher had become one of the Confederacy's most important defensive positions. Located near the mouth of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, the fort protected the approaches to Wilmington, a major port used by blockade-running ships to bring supplies into Confederate territory.

Union commanders sought to capture Fort Fisher and close the remaining maritime approaches to Wilmington. An initial operation in December 1864 failed to take the fort, leading to a renewed attack in January 1865.

The second expedition brought together Union naval forces under Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter and an Army force under Major General Alfred H. Terry. Union warships bombarded the Confederate fortifications while troops and naval landing parties prepared to assault the defenses.

On January 15, 1865, Mills joined a landing party from USS Minnesota. The sailors were ordered to advance against Fort Fisher's heavily defended positions, including the palisades that obstructed the approaches to the fort.

As the naval assault developed, Mills charged toward the palisades with the attacking force. The sailors encountered determined resistance from Confederate defenders, whose fire inflicted casualties and disrupted the advance.

The attack soon became chaotic. Under the pressure of enemy fire, more than two-thirds of the men in the assaulting party broke from the advance and retreated.

Mills did not withdraw with them.

An officer had been wounded during the fighting and remained in a dangerous position near the Confederate defenses. Mills chose to stay with the injured man despite the retreat of most of the attacking force.

His decision exposed him to continued danger. Confederate defenders concentrated their fire on the remaining group, making movement across the battlefield extremely hazardous.

Mills remained beside the wounded officer as enemy fire continued. Instead of abandoning the man to seek safety for himself, he stayed in the exposed position and waited for an opportunity to help him withdraw.

The circumstances required exceptional courage. The naval assault had lost its momentum, most of the attacking men had retreated, and the wounded officer could not readily escape without assistance. Mills remained under fire while the fighting continued around them.

He waited until after dark.

When darkness reduced the immediate danger of movement across the battlefield, Mills assisted the wounded officer away from the position. His actions allowed the injured man to leave the field after hours of exposure to enemy fire.

This act of bravery became the defining achievement of Mills's military service. His conduct was distinguished by his decision to remain with a wounded fellow serviceman at a moment when the attacking force was retreating.

The official Medal of Honor citation specifically recognized Mills for advancing to the palisades, remaining with the wounded officer despite concentrated enemy fire, and assisting him from the battlefield after darkness fell.

Although the naval assault did not succeed in breaking through the Confederate defenses, Union infantry attacking another section of Fort Fisher overcame the defenders. The fort fell to Union forces on January 15, 1865.

The capture of Fort Fisher was an important Union victory. Its fall deprived Confederate blockade runners of access through the fort's defended approach to Wilmington and significantly weakened the Confederacy's remaining maritime supply routes.

For Mills, however, the battle was remembered through a deeply personal act of courage. His most important documented contribution was not the capture of a position or an enemy flag, but his determination to remain beside an injured officer when retreat offered him a chance to escape the fighting.

His actions demonstrated that bravery in combat could involve protecting a fellow serviceman under circumstances in which remaining behind carried an immediate risk to one's own life.

Charles Mills was formally recognized for his conduct through General Order No. 59, dated June 22, 1865. He received the Navy Medal of Honor for his heroism during the assault on Fort Fisher.

He was among nine sailors and Marines associated with USS Minnesota who received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the January 1865 operation.

Following the Civil War, the surviving biographical record provides limited information about Mills's later naval assignments, discharge, civilian employment, and family life. His verified military rating remained Seaman.

Charles Mills died on January 16, 1887, in Brooklyn, New York. He was buried at the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn.

His Medal of Honor recognition preserves the story of a sailor who refused to leave a wounded officer behind during one of the final major coastal assaults of the American Civil War.

On January 15, 1865, while Confederate fire forced most of the naval assault party to retreat, Mills remained beside an injured fellow serviceman and waited until darkness made escape possible. His willingness to face continued enemy fire to assist another man earned him a lasting place among the United States Navy's Medal of Honor recipients.