Bernard Harley

{{Short description|US Navy Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (1842–1886)}}

{{use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}

{{Infobox military person

| name = Bernard Harley

| image = BernardHarley.jpg

| birth_date = {{birth year|1842}}

| death_date = January 15, {{death year and age|1886|1842}}

| birth_place = Kings County, New York

| death_place = Kings County, New York

| placeofburial = Holy Cross Cemetery

| allegiance = United States

| branch = United States Navy

| rank = Ordinary Seaman

| unit = {{USS|Chicopee|1863}}
United States Navy U.S. Picket Boat No. 1

| awards = Medal of Honor

| spouse = Anna Harley

}}

Bernard Harley (born 1842) was an Ordinary Seaman in the Union Navy during the American Civil War, where he earned the Medal of Honor.{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.army.mil/moh/civilwar_gl.html#GRAHAMR|title=Medal of Honor Recipients - Civil War (G-L)|last=History|first=U.S. Army Center of Military|website=www.history.army.mil|access-date=2017-07-14|archive-date=June 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606203802/http://www.history.army.mil/moh/civilwar_gl.html#GRAHAMR|url-status=dead}}

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.{{Cite web|url=http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=265|title=Valor awards for Bernard Harley|website=valor.militarytimes.com|access-date=2017-07-14}} They were then able to destroy the Ablemarle.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sdgxAQAAMAAJ&q=hapeman&pg=PA47|title=Medal of Honor|last=Personnel|first=United States Bureau of Naval|date=1910|language=en}} The picket boat was destroyed by enemy fire, and almost the entire crew was taken prisoner or lost. This included Harley, who was taken as a prisoner of war.

Harley was awarded his Medal of Honor on December 31, 1864. 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.