b. 1835 Wales. d. ? Massachusetts.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 15/01/1865 Fort Fisher, North Carolina.
Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient. He enlisted in the Union Army on April 8, 1864 as a Private and he was mustered under the name of “John Griffith” into the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. On May 17, 1864 he was transferred out and then joined the Union Navy. He served as a Captain of the Forecastle and he was awarded the CMOH for action in North Carolina. His citation reads “On board the USS Santiago de Cuba during the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. As one of a boatcrew detailed to one of the generals onshore, Griffiths bravely entered the fort in the assault and accompanied his party in carrying dispatches at the height of the battle. He was one of the six men who entered the fort in the assault from the fleet.” He was discharged from the Navy on June 17, 1865.
MOH CITATION:
On board the U.S.S. Santiago de Cuba during the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. As one of a boatcrew detailed to one of the generals onshore, Griffiths bravely entered the fort in the assault and accompanied his party in carrying dispatches at the height of the battle. He was one of the six men who entered the fort in the assault from the fleet.
BURIAL LOCATION: SAILORS HOME CEMETERY, QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER, WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, WASHINGTON DC.
