Emile Lejeune

Rescued a drowning civilian beside the Port Royal wharfside.

Emile Lejeune was born in France in 1853 and later entered the United States Navy. His award was accredited to New York. By June 1876, he was serving as a seaman aboard USS Plymouth, commanded by Captain Edward Barrett.

On 6 June 1876, Plymouth was at Port Royal, South Carolina. A civilian fell into the water and was in danger of drowning. Lejeune rescued him. The surviving official account is brief, but it records the essential fact: a civilian was in immediate danger, and Lejeune intervened successfully.

His conduct was recognized in Navy Department General Order No. 212, dated 9 June 1876, only three days after the rescue. Lejeune received the Medal of Honor for gallant lifesaving during a period when the Navy awarded the decoration for extraordinary peacetime heroism as well as bravery in combat.

The details of much of Lejeune’s later life are less extensively preserved than the account of his rescue. He died in Portland, Maine, on 10 July 1916 and was buried at Forest City Cemetery in South Portland. His grave remained without a marker identifying him as a Medal of Honor recipient for many years.

In October 2017, veterans and researchers helped restore recognition to his burial place. A military honors ceremony and permanent marker brought renewed attention to the sailor whose quick response had saved a civilian’s life at Port Royal.

Medal of Honor citation

Serving on board the U.S.S. Plymouth, Lejeune displayed gallant conduct in rescuing a citizen from drowning at Port Royal, S.C., 6 June 1876.