Robert Augustus Sweeney

Twice he plunged into the sea to save his drowning shipmates

Robert Augustus Sweeney earned two Medals of Honor for lifesaving courage while serving in the United States Navy. An ordinary seaman aboard USS Kearsarge and later USS Yantic, he risked his life in separate rescues in 1881 and 1883. He holds a unique place in American military history as the only African American awarded the Medal of Honor twice. (navyleague.org)

Born in 1853 on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, Sweeney entered naval service through New Jersey. His documented rating was ordinary seaman. Although details of his early life remain limited, the surviving award records preserve two occasions when he entered dangerous water to save another person. (cmohs.org, mohmuseum.org)

On 26 October 1881, Sweeney was serving aboard USS Kearsarge at Hampton Roads, Virginia, when a shipmate fell overboard. A strong tide threatened to carry the sailor away. Sweeney jumped into the water and assisted in saving him from drowning. His first Medal of Honor followed on 1 November 1881, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s recipient record. (cmohs.org)

Just over two years later, on 20 December 1883, Sweeney again acted to save a life. While serving aboard USS Yantic at the New York Navy Yard, he rescued A. A. George, who had fallen overboard from USS Jamestown. This second rescue earned another Medal of Honor, dated 18 October 1884. Both awards recognized heroism during peacetime, when the Navy could confer its highest decoration for extraordinary lifesaving conduct. (cmohs.org, navyleague.org)

Little is securely documented about Sweeney’s subsequent life. He died on 19 December 1890, aged 37, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, New York. His two Medals of Honor commemorate repeated acts of courage by a sailor who entered the water when another person’s life was at stake. (cmohs.org)