Edwin Anderson , Jr . Edwin Alexander Anderson , Jr . ( July 16 , 1860 – September 23 , 1933 ) was a United States Navy officer who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the 1914 American intervention at Veracruz . He retired from the Navy in 1924 as an admiral . Early life and career . Anderson was born in Wilmington , North Carolina . He was appointed a cadet midshipman to the United States Naval Academy from the 3rd Congressional District of North Carolina , on June 28 , 1878 , and graduated with the Class of 1882 , receiving his ensign ' s stripe on July 1 , 1884 after the customary two year ' s sea duty . Anderson advanced slowly up the promotion ladder , such advancements in those times being received on basis of seniority ; he remained an ensign for ten years before becoming a lieutenant , junior grade . Detached from ( Cruiser No . 12 ) , Anderson reported on board ( Cruiser No . 11 ) on January 28 , 1897 , and was serving in that ship at the time of the outbreak of the Spanish - American War in the spring of 1898 . Spanish - American War . At that time , the United States Navy threw a blockade around Cuba . By early May 1898 , " Marblehead " was operating off the south coast of Cuba , off the port of Cienfuegos — a cable terminus important to Spanish communications — in company with the converted yacht , ( Gunboat No . 7 ) , the revenue cutter and the collier . To sever this vital link , Captain Bowman H . McCalla , senior officer in the group , planned an operation to cut the cable at Cienfuegos , designating Lieutenant Cameron McRae Winslow as the commanding officer , with Lieutenant ( Junior Grade ) Anderson as his second - in - command . Winslow accordingly gave Anderson command of the sailing launches from " Marblehead " . After the guns of the two warships smashed Spanish positions ashore , the boats moved in to carry out the operation . Anderson ' s boat quickly snatched up the first cable and , assisted by Nashville ' s boat , cut it . They soon grapnel ed a second cable and were in the process of cutting it , too , when the Spaniards opened a slow fire that soon grew to volley proportions , from rifles , automatic weapons and one - pounders . After a Spanish bullet felled the coxswain of Anderson ' s boat , Anderson took the helm and began steering the boat seaward , directing his men to keep down between the thwart s . The Spanish fire , however wounded three more men and holed the boat in many places . After the action , Anderson had nothing but praise for his sailors and marines , commending their intelligent and cheerful work in the exhausting labor of picking up and cutting the heavy cables , working even under heavy fire until ordered to stop . The operation proved successful in another aspect . The ships gunfire decimated a large Spanish force sent to the area to contest the operation . Subsequently , Anderson delivered the prize steamer " Adula " to Savannah , Georgia , in July 1898 , and was given command of another Spanish prize , the gunboat " Alvarado " . Recommended for advancement in grade for his heroism at Cienfuegos in August 1898 , this advancement ( five numbers in grade ) came finally on February 11 , 1901 . Post - War Advancement , Medal of Honor . Over the 1900s ( decade ) , Anderson advanced to commander ; among his tours of duty included a stint at the Navy Recruiting Station , Cincinnati , Ohio and at the Mare Island Navy Yard as ordnance officer before being given command of ( Gunboat No . 1 ) in the autumn of 1910 . He briefly commanded ( Battleship No . 4 ) during the assemblage the fleet in New York City before being detached for duty as Captain of the Yard at the Philadelphia Navy Yard . Late in 1913 , Anderson was given command of and while in command of that ship , took part in the American intervention at Veracruz , Mexico , in April 1914 . Given command of the Second Seaman Regiment , Anderson led that bluejacket landing force ashore and so distinguished himself in the fighting that followed that he received the Medal of Honor . Subsequently attending the Naval War College , Anderson served as Supervisor of Naval Auxiliary Reserves , Norfolk , and later as Commander , Squadron 3 , Patrol Force , assigned defense duties out of Key West , Florida , during World War I , with as his flagship . Appointed a rear admiral to rank from August 31 , 1917 , Anderson commanded Squadron 1 , Patrol Force , Atlantic Fleet , for the duration of the First World War . Flag Assignments . Over the next few years , Anderson flew his flag as Commander Division 1 , Cruiser Squadrons , Atlantic Fleet , and as Commandant , Sixth Naval District , headquartered at Charleston , South Carolina , before assuming command of United States Naval Forces in European Waters , with the rank of vice admiral . He was soon redesignated as Commander in Chief , Asiatic Fleet , however from August 28 , 1922 . Continued turmoil in China had occasioned the presence of substantial numbers of foreign warships in Chinese waters including the Asiatic Fleet . Anderson ' s ships carried out the usual kinds of peacetime operations ever ready to perform protective service for American nationals . During his tour , however the Fleet distinguished itself in quite an unexpected fashion . A severe earthquake rocked Japan , causing heavy damage to such cities as Tokyo and Yokohama . As Secretary of the Navy Edwin C . Denby reported in 1923 , " One of the brightest pages in the history of the Navy has recently been written by the Asiatic Fleet in its mission of mercy to the stricken people of Japan . . . " Admiral Anderson promptly placed his fleet at the disposal of the Japanese , immediately dispatched a division of destroyer from Chinese waters to Yokohama with medical supplies to render assistance . The ships of Destroyer Division 38 , led by , were in fact the first ships to render assistance to the city of Yokohama . All available naval vessels were laden with clothing , food , medicines , and supplies , and rushed to Japanese waters . Admiral Anderson himself arrived at Yokohama in his flagship the armored cruiser on the afternoon of September 1923 . Within two weeks ' time , the United States Ambassador in Japan , Cyrus E . Woods , could cable : Subsequently , the Japanese Ambassador to the United States , Masanao Hanihara , expressed gratitude for Admiral Anderson ' s " unflagging zeal and efficiency " that led to the " prompt and gallant assistance " that enabled the situation to be brought " well under control in a short time . " Retirement . Relieved by Admiral Thomas Washington on October 11 , 1923 , Anderson returned to the United States , and was placed on the retired list with the permanent rank of rear admiral on March 23 , 1924 . Anderson died at his home in Masonboro Sound , Wilmington , North Carolina on September 23 , 1933 , and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery . His grave can be found in section 2 , grave 3798 . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Captain , U . S . Navy . Born : July 16 , 1860 , Wilmington N . C . Accredited to : North Carolina . G . O . No . : 177 , December 4 , 1915 . Other Navy award : Distinguished Service Medal . Citation : For extraordinary heroism in battle , engagement of Vera Cruz , April 22 , 1914 , in command of the 2d Seaman Regiment . Marching his regiment across the open space in front of the Naval Academy and other buildings , Capt . Anderson unexpectedly met a heavy fire from riflemen , machineguns and l _ pounders , which caused part of his command to break and fall back , many casualties occurring amongst them at the time . His indifference to the heavy fire , to which he himself was exposed at the head of his regiment , showed him to be fearless and courageous in battle . Namesake . A Sims - class destroyer in the United States Navy , the , was named for him .