Daniel Campbell (Medal of Honor)

Under shore fire, he severed Cuba’s wartime telegraph cables

Daniel J. Campbell was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1874. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at Boston on 28 August 1896 and served as a private aboard the cruiser USS Marblehead.

During the Spanish-American War on 11 May 1898, American boat parties went close inshore at Cienfuegos, Cuba, to cut submarine telegraph cables. The operation exposed the sailors and Marines to fire from Spanish positions while they worked from small boats. Campbell continued his duties with conspicuous steadiness and courage despite the fire. His conduct was recognized with the Medal of Honor under Navy General Order 521 of 7 July 1899.

Campbell survived the war and left the Marine Corps with an honorable discharge in October 1901. He died on 28 April 1955 and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in the Mattapan district of Boston. His award commemorates a hazardous communications operation rather than a ship-to-ship engagement.