Born in 1825 in Sweden, Erickson immigrated to the U.S. and was living in Brooklyn when he joined the Navy. He served as a captain of the forecastle on the in the Wilmington Campaign, from the First Battle of Fort Fisher on December 24, 1864, through the campaign's end on February 22, 1865. He was severely wounded and received treatment at a hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. For his actions during the campaign, he was awarded the Medal of Honor months later on June 22, 1865.