Bernard Harley (born 1842) was an Ordinary Seaman in the Union Navy during the American Civil War, where he earned the Medal of Honor.[1]
Harley was born in 1842, in Kings County, New York. While aboard the U.S. Picket Boat No. 1, on October 27, 1864, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism in action near Plymouth, North Carolina. The Confederate ram Albemarle had resisted many previous attacks, but Harley and his picket boat, equipped with a spar torpedo, succeeded in passing the enemy pickets.[2] They were then able to destroy the Ablemarle.[3] The picket boat was destroyed by enemy fire, and almost the entire crew was taken prisoner or lost.[2] This included Harley, who was taken as a prisoner of war.
Harley was awarded his Medal of Honor on December 31, 1864.[1] He was married to Anna Harley (?-1909). Harley died on January 15, 1886, in Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, and was later buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery.
See also
Notes
- ^ a b History, U.S. Army Center of Military. "Medal of Honor Recipients - Civil War (G-L)". www.history.army.mil. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ a b "Valor awards for Bernard Harley". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ Personnel, United States Bureau of Naval (1910). Medal of Honor.
References
- Ammen, RADM USN, Daniel (1885). The Atlantic Coast. The Navy in the Civil War. Vol. II. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. OCLC 166312281.
- Matthews, Franklin (1915). Our Navy in Time of War (1861-1915). New York, NY: D. Appleton and Company. OCLC 940844432.
- Porter, ADM USN, David Dixon (1886). The Naval History of the Civil War. New York, NY: The Sherman Publishing Company. OCLC 280729.
- Cushing, William B. (1888), "The Destruction of the "Albemarle"", The Century Magazine, The Career of the Confederate Ram "Albemarle", XXXVI: 386–393, OCLC 21247159
