| Henry Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Sergeant Henry Johnson | |
| Born | June 11, 1850 |
| Died | January 31, 1904 (aged 53) |
| Place of birth | Boydton, Virginia |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 9th Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Indian Wars |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Henry Johnson (June 11, 1850 – January 31, 1904) was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States.
Biography[]
He was awarded the Medal of Honor at Fort Robinson on September 22, 1890,[1] for his actions during the Battle of Milk Creek against the Ute Indians from October 2–5, 1879 in Colorado. His Medal of Honor citation reads:
Voluntarily left fortified shelter and under heavy fire at close range made the rounds of the pits to instruct the guards, fought his way to the creek and back to bring water to the wounded.
— Indian War Period Medal of Honor recipients, 22 September 1890[2]
At the time of the awarding, he was a private. He had been promoted to sergeant for the third time in 1889, but was demoted after tangling with a bartender at Fort Robinson.[1]
Johnson was a sergeant in Company D. He was cited for twice leaving his position under heavy fire, first to check on his men, then, on October 4, going to the nearby Milk River to obtain water for them.[1] However, some have questioned whether he was under fire when he went for water.[1] Johnson died on January 31, 1904, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, in section 23, lot 16547.[3]
See also[]
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
- List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Schubert, Frank N (1997). "Ten Troopers: Buffalo Soldier Medal of Honor Men Who Served at Fort Robinson". Nebraska State Historical Society. pp. 151–157. http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/NH1997TenTroopers.pdf. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ↑ "Indian War Period Medal of Honor recipients". United States Army Center of Military History. July 30, 2013. https://history.army.mil/html/moh/indianwars.html. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ↑ "Medal of Honor Recipients: Arlington National Cemetery". Arlington National Cemetery. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/portals/0/Docs/News/Medal%20of%20Honor%20at%20Arlington.pdf. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
External links[]
- "Henry Johnson (Buffalo Soldier)". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7877454. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The original article can be found at Henry Johnson (Buffalo Soldier) and the edit history here.