https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/september-29/29 September
Feast Day of St. Michael the Archangel, Patron Saint of Soldiers, marines, Military Police, Aviation, and Airborne: The name Michael signifies “Who is like to God?” and was the war cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against Satan and his followers. Holy Scripture describes St. Michael as “one of the chief princes,” and leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over the powers of hell. He has been especially honored and invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. Although he is always called “the Archangel,” the Greek Fathers and many others place him over all the angels – as Prince of the Seraphim.
1789 – The U.S. War Department established a regular U.S. army with a strength of several hundred men.
1789 – The 1st United States Congress adjourns.
1812 – Seminole Indians ambushed Marines at Twelve Mile Swamp, Florida.
1850 – Pres. Millard Fillmore named Mormon leader Brigham Young as the first governor of the Utah Territory.
1862 – Union General Jefferson C. Davis mortally wounds his commanding officer, General William Nelson, in Louisville, Kentucky. Davis had been upset by a reprimand handed down by Nelson. After quarreling in a hotel lobby, Nelson slapped Davis. Davis then chased him upstairs and shot him. Davis was never court-martialed, and it is thought that the influence of Indiana Governor Oliver Morton, who was with Davis at the time of the shooting, was instrumental in preventing a trial. Davis went on to serve with distinction at the Battles of Stones River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga.
1863 – U.S.S. Lafayette, Lieutenant Commander J.P. Foster, and U.S.S. Kenwood, Acting Master John Swaney, arrived at Morganza, Louisiana, on Bayou Fordoche to support troops under Major General Napoleon J. T. Dana. More than 400 Union troops had been captured in an engagement with Confederates under Brigadier General Thomas Green. Foster noted, “the arrival of the gunboats was hailed . . . with perfect delight.” Next day, the presence of the ships, he added, “no doubt deterred [the Confederates] from attacking General Dana in his position at Morganza as they had about four brigades to do it with, while our forces did not amount to more than 1,500.” Foster ordered gunboats to cover the Army and prevent a renewal of the action.
1864 – Union General Ulysses S. Grant tries to break the stalemate around Richmond and Petersburg—25 miles south of Richmond—by attacking two points along the defenses of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The assault against Richmond, called the Battle of New Market Heights, and the assault against Petersburg, known as the Battle of Poplar Springs Church (Peeble’s Farm), both failed. But they kept the pressure on Lee and prevented him from sending reinforcements to the beleaguered General Jubal Early, who was fighting against General Philip Sheridan in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Grant gave the attack on New Market Heights to General Benjamin Butler’s Army of the James. Butler had carefully scouted the network of Confederate fortifications and determined that there were weaknesses. He instructed General Edward Ord to strike at Fort Harrison, a stronghold in the network, and General David Birney to attack New Market Heights. The assault began with Birney, who sent a division of African American soldiers against New Market Heights. Butler was correct about the weakness of the Richmond defenses, which were significantly undermanned since most of Lee’s force was protecting Petersburg. The 1,800 Confederate defenders of New Market Heights soon realized that the Yankee attack threatened to overrun their position. After a half-hour battle, they retreated closer to Richmond. At nearby Fort Harrison, Ord’s troops swarmed over the walls of the fort and scattered the 800 inexperienced defenders. Despite the initial success, the Union attack became bogged down. The leading units of the attack suffered significant casualties, including many officers. The Confederate defenses were deep, and the Yankees faced another set of fortifications. Butler instructed his men to secure the captured territory before renewing the attack. That night, Lee moved several brigades from Petersburg for an unsuccessful counterattack on September 30. In the end, Union soldiers bent the Richmond defenses but did not break them. Yankee casualties totaled 3,300 of the 20,000 troops engaged, while the Confederates lost 2,000 of 11,000 engaged. The stalemate continued until the following spring.
1864 – Ships of the Confederate James River Squadron, Flag Officer Mitchell, supported Southern troops in attacks against Fort Harrison, Chaffin’s Farm, James River, Virginia. Though the Confederates failed to retake Fort Harrison, with the aid of heavy fire from Mitchell’s ships, they prevented Union soldiers from capturing Chaffin’s Bluff.
1879 – Dissatisfied Ute Indians killed Agent Nathan Meeker and nine others in the “Meeker Massacre.”
1899 – VFW established.
1918 – At the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, Allied forces scored a decisive breakthrough of the Hindenburg Line during World War I. The Allied assualt involved British, Australian and American forces in the spearhead attack and as a single combined force against the German Siegfried Stellung of the Hindenburg Line. Under the command of Australian general Sir John Monash, the assault achieved all its objectives, resulting in the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line, in the face of heavy German resistance and, in concert with other attacks of the Great Offensive along the length of the line convinced the German high command that the writing was on the wall regarding any hope of German victory.
1918 – Lt. Frank Luke Jr. against orders destroyed 3 German balloons and downed 2 pursuing fighters in a final flight of vengeance for the loss of his wingman Lt. Joseph Wehner. Luke received a posthumous medal of honor.
1919 – The Secretary of War deploys federal troops to Omaha after the preceding day’s rioting. The race riot resulted in the brutal lynching of Will Brown, a black worker; the death of two white men; the attempted hanging of Mayor Edward Parsons Smith; and a public rampage by thousands of whites who set fire to the Douglas County Courthouse in downtown Omaha. The riot lasted until 3 a.m., at that hour, federal troops, under command of Colonel John E. Morris of the Twentieth Infantry, arrived from Fort Omaha and Fort Crook. Troops manning machine guns were placed in the heart of Omaha’s business district; in North Omaha, the center of the black community, to protect citizens there; and in South Omaha, to prevent more mobs from forming. Major General Leonard Wood, commander of the Central Department, came the next day to Omaha by order of Secretary of War Newton D. Baker. Peace was enforced by 1,600 soldiers. Martial law was not formally proclaimed in Omaha, but it was effectively enacted throughout the city. By the request of City Commissioner W.G. Ure, who was acting mayor, Wood took over control over the police department, too.
1938 – Munich Agreement: Germany is given permission from France, Italy, and Great Britain to seize the territory of Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia. The meeting takes place in Munich, and leaders from neither the Soviet Union nor Czechoslovakia attend.
1939 – In New York city, Fritz Kuhn, the leader of the pro-Nazi German-American Bund, is imprisoned.
1939 – Germany and the Soviet Union agree to divide control of occupied Poland roughly along the Bug River–the Germans taking everything west, the Soviets taking everything east. As a follow-up to the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, (also known as the Hitler-Stalin Pact), that created a non-aggression treaty between the two behemoth military powers of Germany and the U.S.S.R., Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German foreign minister, met with his Soviet counterpart, V.M. Molotov, to sign the German-Soviet Boundary and Friendship Treaty. The fine print of the original non-aggression pact had promised the Soviets a slice of eastern Poland; now it was merely a matter of agreeing where to draw the lines. Joseph Stalin, Soviet premier and dictator, personally drew the line that partitioned Poland. Originally drawn at the River Vistula, just west of Warsaw, he agreed to pull it back east of the capital and Lublin, giving Germany control of most of Poland’s most heavily populated and industrialized regions. In return, Stalin wanted Lvov, and its rich oil wells, as well as Lithuania, which sits atop East Prussia. Germany now had 22 million Poles, “slaves of the Greater German Empire,” at its disposal; Russia had a western buffer zone.
1943 – Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf was published in the United States.
1943 – General Eisenhower and Marshal Badoglio sign the armistice agreement aboard the HMS Nelson in Malta harbor.
1943 – Elements the US 5th Army continue to advance. Elements of the US 6th Corps attack Avellino. The British 10th Corps reaches Pompeii.
1944 – USS Narwhal (SS-167) evacuates 81 Allied prisoners of war that survived sinking of Japanese Shinyo Maru from Sindangan Bay, Mindanao.
1944 – On Angaur, American forces confine Japanese resistance to a small area in the northwest of the island.
1946 – Lockheed P2V Neptune, Truculent Turtle, leaves Perth, Australia on long distance non-stop, non-refueling flight that ends October 1.
1950 – In a ceremony in the National Assembly Hall while fighting still raged in the outskirts, Seoul was officially restored as the capital of the Republic of Korea. An emotional President Rhee called General MacArthur “the savior of our race.”
1965 – Hanoi publishes the text of a letter it has written to the Red Cross claiming that since there is no formal state of war, U.S. pilots shot down over the North will not receive the rights of prisoners of war (POWs) and will be treated as war criminals. The U.S. State Department protested, but this had no impact on the way the American POWs were treated and most suffered extreme torture and other maltreatment while in captivity. The first pilot captured by the North Vietnamese was Navy Lieutenant Everett Alvarez, who was shot down on August 5, 1964. The American POW held longest was Army Special Forces Captain Floyd James Thompson, who had been captured in the South on March 26, 1964. American POWs were held in 11 different prisons in North Vietnam and their treatment by the North Vietnamese was characterized by isolation, torture, and psychological abuse. The exact number of POWs held by the North Vietnamese during the war remains a debatable issue, but the POWs themselves have accounted for at least 766 verified captives at one point. Under the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords, the North Vietnamese released 565 American military and 26 civilian POWs in February and March 1973, but there were still more than 2,500 men listed as Missing in Action (MIA).
1966 – Operation “Monterey,” Vietnam.
1969 – Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor announces that the U.S. Army, conceding that it is helpless to enlist the cooperation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is dropping the murder charges (of August 6) against eight Special Forces accused of killing a Vietnamese national. Col. Robert B. Rheault, Commander of the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam, and seven other Green Berets had been charged with premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the summary execution of Thai Khac Chuyen, who had served as an agent for Detachment B-57. Chuyen was reportedly summarily executed for being a double agent who had compromised a secret mission. The case against the Green Berets was ultimately dismissed for reasons of national security when the CIA refused to release highly classified information about the operations in which Detachment B-57 had been involved. Colonel Rheault subsequently retired from the Army.
1986 – Coast Guard officials signed the contract papers to acquire the H-60 series helicopter to replace the venerable Sikorsky HH-3F Pelicans.
1988 – The space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., marking America’s return to manned space flight following the Challenger disaster.
1994 – Gunmen in Italy fired at the rental car of the Green family of Bodega Bay, Ca., and killed their young boy, Nicholas Green. The parents donated his organs and saved 7 lives in Italy. An appeals court in 1998 found 2 men guilty of the botched highway robbery. Michelle Ianello was sentenced to life in prison and Francesco Mesiano was sentenced to 20 years.
1990 – The YF-22, which would later become the F-22 Raptor, flies for the first time. The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine, all weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The result of the USAF’s Advanced Tactical Fighter program, the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities including ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor and is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapon systems, and final assembly of the F-22, while program partner Boeing provides the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.
1994 – The crew of Coast Guard LORAN Station Iwo Jima decommissioned their station and turned it over to a crew from the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency. The turnover of all of the Northwest Pacific LORAN chain stations was arranged under a 1992 agreement between the U.S. and Japan.
1995 – Three U-S servicemen were indicted in the rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl and handed over to Japanese authorities. They were later convicted.
1995 – The United States Navy disbands Fighter Squadron 84 (VF-84), nicknamed the “Jolly Rogers”. VF-84, Fighter Squadron 84 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy active from 1955 to 1995. The squadron was nicknamed the Jolly Rogers and was based at NAS Oceana. It took the number but not the lineage of a World War II squadron active in 1944–45, the “Wolf Gang”, which was a new squadron formed around a nucleus of veterans of VF-17, the original “Jolly Rogers”.
1999 – The Associated Press reported on the alleged mass killing of civilians by US soldiers in the early days of the Korean War, beneath a bridge at a hamlet called No Gun Ri.
2000 – A US AMRAAM missile sale to Taiwan was designed so that delivery would not occur unless China threatened an attack.
2000 – US navy pilot, Lt. Bruce Joseph Donald, was killed when his F/A-18C Hornet fighter crashed into the Persian Gulf.
2001 – Pres. Bush in his weekly radio address condemned the Taliban for sheltering terrorists and said: “We did not seek this conflict, but we will win it.”
2003 – US The Justice Department launched a full-blown criminal investigation into who leaked the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame, the wife of ex-Ambassador Joseph Wilson, and President Bush the next day directed his White House staff to cooperate fully. The White House denied that President Bush’s top political adviser, Karl Rove, had leaked a CIA agent’s identity to retaliate against an opponent of the administration’s Iraq policy.
2004 – The Burt Rutan Ansari X Prize entry SpaceShipOne performs a successful spaceflight, the first of two required to win the prize.
2004 – A US federal judge ruled that a section of the Patriot Act, that allowed the search of phone and Internet records, was unconstitutional.
2004 – Kyrgyzstan police arrested a man for attempting the black market sale of 60 small containers of what was confirmed as plutonium.
2004 – A Yemeni judge sentenced two men to death and four others to prison terms ranging from five to 10 years for orchestrating the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole.
2005 – The New York Times reporter Judith Miller is released from federal jail after receiving a waiver from her news source, allowing her to testify in the investigation of the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
2006 – The HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter takes its first low-orbit, high-resolution pictures of Mars.
2008 – Following the bankruptcies of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual, The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 777.68 points, the largest single-day point loss in its history.
2010 – Germany makes the final payment of its World War I reparations.
2012 – One of the Guantanamo detainees, Omar Khadr, is transferred to Canada to serve the remainder of his sentence.
2014 – Ashraf Ghani is sworn in as new president of Afghanistan.
Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken this Day
APPLETON, WILLIAM H.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company H, 4th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 15 June 1864; At New Market Heights, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Portsmouth, N.H. Born: 24 March 1843, Chichester, N.H. Date of issue: 18 February 1891. Citation: The first man of the Eighteenth Corps to enter the enemy’s works at Petersburg, Va., 15 June 1864. Valiant service in a desperate assault at New Market Heights, Va., inspiring the Union troops by his example of steady courage.
ARCHER, LESTER
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company E, 96th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Harrison, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Fort Ann, N.Y. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Gallantry in placing the colors of his regiment on the fort.
BARNES, WILLIAM H.
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 38th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: St. Marys County, Md. Date of issue 6 April 1865. Citation: Among the first to enter the enemy’s works; although wounded.
BEATY, POWHATAN
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company G, 5th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Delaware County, Ohio. Birth: Richmond, Va. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took command of his company, all the officers having been killed or wounded, and gallantly led it.
BELCHER, THOMAS
Rank and organization: Private, Company I, 9th Maine Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Bangor, Maine. Birth: Bangor, Maine. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took a guidon from the hands of the bearer, mortally wounded, and advanced with it nearer to the battery than any other man.
BLUCHER, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 188th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Harrison, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Harrisburgh, Pa. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Planted first national colors on the fortifications.
BRADY, JAMES
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 10th New Hampshire Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Kingston, N.H. Birth: Boston, Mass. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
BRONSON, JAMES H.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company D, 5th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Delaware County, Ohio. Birth: Indiana County, Pa. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took command of his company, all the officers having been killed or wounded, and gallantly led it.
*BUCHANAN, GEORGE A.
Rank and organization: Private, Company G, 148th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Ontario County, N.Y. Birth: New York. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took position in advance of the skirmish line and drove the enemy’s cannoneers from their guns; was mortally wounded.
BUCK, F. CLARENCE
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company A, 21st Connecticut Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Windsor Conn. Birth: Hartford, Conn. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: A;though wounded, refused to leave the field until the fight closed.
CLAY, CECIL
Rank and organization: Captain, Company K, 58th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Harrison, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 19 April 1892. Citation: Led his regiment in the charge, carrying the colors of another regiment, and when severely wounded in the right arm, incurring loss of same, he shifted the colors to the left hand, which also became disabled by a gunshot wound.
EDGERTON, NATHAN H.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant and Adjutant, 6th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: ——. Date of issue: 30 March 1898. Citation: Took up the flag after 3 color bearers had been shot down and bore it forward, though himself wounded.
FLANAGAN, AUGUSTIN
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, 55th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Chest Springs, Pa. Birth: Cambria County, Pa. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Gallantry in the charge on the enemy’s works: rushing forward with the colors and calling upon the men to follow him; was severely wounded.
FLEETWOOD, CHRISTIAN A.
Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 4th U.S. Colored Troops, Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Baltimore, Md. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Seized the colors, after 2 color bearers had been shot down, and bore them nobly through the fight.
GARDINER, JAMES
Rank and organization: Private, Company I, 36th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Gloucester, Va. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Rushed in advance of his brigade, shot a rebel officer who was on the parapet rallying his men, and then ran him through with his bayonet.
*GASSON, RICHARD
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company K, 47th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Fell dead while planting the colors of his regiment on the enemy’s works.
GRAUL, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 188th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Harrison, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Reading, Pa. Birth: Reading, Pa. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: First to plant the colors of his State on the fortifications.
GRUEB, GEORGE
Rank and organization: Private, Company E, 158th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Gallantry in advancing to the ditch of the enemy’s works.
HARRIS, JAMES H.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 38th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At New Market Heights, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: St. Marys County, Md. Date of issue: 18 February 1874. Citation: Gallantry in the assault.
HAWKINS, THOMAS R.
Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 6th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: Cincinnati, Ohio. Date of issue: 8 February 1870. Citation: Rescue of regimental colors.
HICKOK, NATHAN E.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company A, 8th Connecticut Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Danbury, Conn. Birth: Danbury, Conn. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
HILTON, ALFRED B.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company H, 4th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date. At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Harford County, Md. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: When the regimental color bearer fell, this soldier seized the color and carried it forward, together with the national standard, until disabled at the enemy’s inner line.
HOLLAND, MILTON M.
Rank and organization: Sergeant Major, 5th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Athens, Ohio. Born: 1844, Austin, Tex. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took command of Company C, after all the officers had been killed or wounded, and gallantly led it.
HORNE, SAMUEL B.
Rank and organization: Captain, Company H, 11th Connecticut Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Harrison, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Winsted, Conn. Born: 3 March 1843, Ireland Date of issue: 19 November 1897. Citation: While acting as an aide and carrying an important message, was severely wounded and his horse killed but delivered the order and rejoined his general.
JAMIESON, WALTER
Rank and organization: 1st Sergeant, Company B, 139th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 30 July 1864; At Fort Harrison, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: France. Date of issue: 5 April 1898. Citation: Voluntarily went between the lines under a heavy fire at Petersburg, Va., to the assistance of a wounded and helpless officer, whom he carried within the Union lines. At Fort Harrison, Va., seized the regimental color, the color bearer and guard having been shot down, and, rushing forward, planted it upon the fort in full view of the entire brigade.
JOHNSON, JOSEPH E.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company A, 58th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Harrison, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: ——. Born: 5 February 1843, Lower Merion, Montgomery County, Pa. Date of issue: 1 April 1898. Citation: Though twice severely wounded while advancing in the assault, he disregarded his injuries and was among the first to enter the fort, where he was wounded for the third time.
KELLY, ALEXANDER
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company F, 6th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth. Pennsylvania. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Gallantly seized the colors, which had fallen near the enemy’s lines of abatis, raised them and rallied the men at a time of confusion and in a place of the greatest danger.
KRAMER, THEODORE L.
Rank and organization: Private, Company G, 188th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Danville, Pa. Birth: Luzerne County, Pa. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took one of the first prisoners, a captain.
LAING, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company F, 158th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Hempstead, N.Y. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Was among the first to scale the parapet.
McKOWN, NATHANIEL A.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 58th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Susquehanna County, Pa. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
MEAGHER, THOMAS
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company G, 158th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Brooklyn N.Y. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Led a section of his men on the enemy’s works, receiving a wound while scaling a parapet.
PINN, ROBERT
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company I, 5th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Massillon, Ohio. Born: 1 March 1843, Stark County, Ohio. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took command of his company after all the officers had been killed or wounded and gallantly led it in battle.
RATCLIFF, EDWARD
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company C, 38th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: James County, Va. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation. Commanded and gallantly led his company after the commanding officer had been killed; was the first enlisted man to enter the enemy’s works.
SCHILLER, JOHN
Rank and organization: Private, Company E, 158th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Advanced to the ditch of the enemy’s works.
SHEA, JOSEPH H.
Rank and organization: Private, Company K, 92d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Baltimore, Md. Date of issue: March 1866. Citation: Gallantry in bringing wounded from the field under heavy fire.
SKELLIE, EBENEZER
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company D, 112th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Mina, N.Y. Birth: Mina, N.Y. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took the colors of his regiment, the color bearer having fallen, and carried them through the first charge; also, in the second charge, after all the color guards had been killed or wounded he carried the colors up to the enemy’s works, where he fell wounded.
VAN WINKLE, EDWARD (EDWIN)
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company C, 148th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Phelps, N.Y. Birth: Phelps, N.Y. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Took position in advance of the skirmish line and drove the enemy’s cannoneers from their guns.
VEAL, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 4th U.S. Colored Troops. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Portsmouth, Va. Birth: Portsmouth Va. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: Seized the national colors after 2 color bearers had been shot down close to the enemy’s works, and bore them through the remainder of the battle.
*WELLS, HENRY S.
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 148th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chapins Farm, Va., 29 September 1864. Entered service at: Phelps, N.Y. Birth: ——. Date of issue: 6 April 1865. Citation: With 2 comrades, took position in advance of the skirmish line, within short distance of the enemy’s gunners, and drove them from their guns.
BRANAGAN, EDWARD
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 19 November 1872. Citation. Gallantry in action.
DODGE, FRANCIS S.
Rank and organization: Captain, Troop D, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: Near White River Agency, Colo., 29 September 1879. Entered service at: Danvers, Mass. Born: 11 September 1842, Danvers, Mass. Date of issue: 2 April 1898. Citation: With a force of 40 men rode all night to the relief of a command that had been defeated and was besieged by an overwhelming force of Indians, reached the field at daylight, joined in the action and fought for 3 days.
FOSTER, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company F, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at: ——. Birth: England, Date of issue: 19 November 1872. Citation: Gallantry in action.
GRIMES, EDWARD P.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company F, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September to 5 October 1879. Entered service at:——. Birth: Dover, N.H. Date of issue: 27 January 1880. Citation: The command being almost out of ammunition and surrounded on 3 sides by the enemy, he voluntarily brought up a supply under heavy flre at almost point blank range.
LARKIN, DAVID
Rank and organization: Farrier, Company F, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 19 November 1872. Citation: Gallantry in action.
LAWTON, JOHN S.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company D, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September 1879. Entered service at:——. Birth: Bristol, R.l. Date of issue: 7 June 1880. Citation: Coolness and steadiness under fire; volunteered to accompany a small detachment on a very dangerous mission.
McMASTERS, HENRY A.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company A, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Augusta, Maine. Date of issue: 19 November 1872. Citation: Gallantry in action.
McNAMARA, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company F, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at:——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 19 November 1872. Citation: Gallantry in action.
MERRILL, JOHN
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company F, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September 187’J. Entered service at: ——. Birth: New York, N.Y. Date of issue: 7 June 1880. Citation: Though painfully wounded, he remained on duty and rendered gallant and valuable service.
MOQUIN, GEORGE
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company F, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September to 5 October 1879. Entered Service at: ———. Birth: New York, N.Y. Date of issue: 27 January 1880. Citation: Gallantry in action.
MURPHY, EDWARD F.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company D, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September 1879. Entered service at:——. Birth: Wayne County, Pa. [)ate of issue: 23 April 1880. Citation: Gallantry in action.
O’NEILL, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Tariffville, Conn. Date of issue: 19 November 1872. Citation: Bravery in action.
PHILIPSEN, WILHELM O.
Rank and organization: Blacksmith, Troop D, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September 1879. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 12 December 1894. Citation: With 9 others voluntarily attacked and captured a strong position held by Indians.
POPPE, JOHN A.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company F, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September to S October 1879. Entered service at:——. Birth: Cincinnati, Ohio. Date of issue: 27 lanuary 1880. Citation: Gallantry in action.
PRATT, JAMES
Rank and organization: Blacksmith, Company I, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at: Bellefontaine, Ohio. Birth: Bellefontaine, Ohio. Date of issue: 19 November 1872. Citation: Gallantry in action.
RANKIN, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Lewistown, Pa. Date of issue: 19 November 1872. Citation: Gallantry in action with Indians.
ROACH, HAMPTON M.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company F, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September to 5 Qctober 1879. Entered service at:——. Birth: Concord, La. Date of issue: 27 January 1880. Citation: Erected breastworks under fire; also kept the command supplied with water 3 consecutive nights while exposed to fire from ambushed Indians at close range.
WIDMER, JACOB
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company D, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Milk River, Colo., 29 September 1879. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 4 May 1880. Citation: Volunteered to accompany a small detachment on a very dangerous mission.
WILSON, WILLIAM
SECOND AWARD
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company I, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Citation: Distinguished conduct in action with Indians, Red River, Tex.
ADKINSON, JOSEPH B.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 119th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and date: Near Bellicourt, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Memphis, Tenn. Born: 4 January 1892, Egypt, Tenn. G.O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919. Citation: When murderous machinegun fire at a range of 50 yards had made it impossible for his platoon to advance, and had caused the platoon to take cover Sgt. Adkinson alone, with the greatest intrepidity, rushed across the 50 yards of open ground directly into the face of the hostile machinegun kicked the gun from the parapet into the enemy trench, and at the point of the bayonet captured the 3 men manning the gun. The gallantry and quick decision of this soldier enabled the platoon to resume its advance.
EGGERS, ALAN LOUIS
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Machine Gun Company, 107th Infantry, 27th Division. Place and date: Near Le Catelet, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Summit, N.J. Birth: Saranac Lake, N.Y. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: Becoming separated from their platoon by a smoke barrage, Sgt. Eggers, Sgt. John C. Latham and Cpl. Thomas E. O’Shea took cover in a shell hole well within the enemy’s lines. Upon hearing a call for help from an American tank, which had become disabled 30 yards from them, the 3 soldiers left their shelter and started toward the tank, under heavy fire from German machineguns and trench mortars. In crossing the fire-swept area Cpl. O’Shea was mortally wounded, but his companions, undeterred, proceeded to the tank, rescued a wounded officer, and assisted 2 wounded soldiers to cover in a sap of a nearby trench. Sgt. Eggers and Sgt. Latham then returned to the tank in the face of the violent fire, dismounted a Hotchkiss gun, and took it back to where the wounded men were, keeping off the enemy all day by effective use of the gun and later bringing it, with the wounded men, back to our lines under cover of darkness.
GAFFNEY, FRANK
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company G, 108th Infantry, 27th Division. Place and date: Near Ronssoy, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Niagara Falls, N.Y. Birth: Buffalo, N.Y. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: Pfc. Gaffney, an automatic rifleman, pushing forward alone, after all the other members of his squad had been killed, discovered several Germans placing a heavy machinegun in position. He killed the crew, captured the gun, bombed several dugouts, and, after killing 4 more of the enemy with his pistol, held the position until reinforcements came up, when 80 prisoners were captured.
GUMPERTZ, SYDNEY G.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 132d Infantry, 33d Division. Place and date: In the Bois-de-Forges, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 24 October 1879, San Raphael, Calif. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919. Citation: When the advancing line was held up by machinegun fire, 1st Sgt. Gumpertz left the platoon of which he was in command and started with 2 other soldiers through a heavy barrage toward the machinegun nest. His 2 companions soon became casualties from bursting shells, but 1st Sgt. Gumpertz continued on alone in the face of direct fire from the machinegun, jumped into the nest and silenced the gun, capturing 9 of the crew.
LATHAM, JOHN CRIDLAND
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Machine Gun Company, 107th Infantry, 27th Division. Place and date: Near Le Catelet, France, 29 September 1918. Entered .service at: Rutherford, N.J. Born: 3 March 1888, Windemere, England. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: Becoming separated from their platoon by a smoke barrage, Sgt. Latham, Sgt. Alan L. Eggers, and Cpl. Thomas E. O’Shea took cover in a shellhole well within the enemy’s lines. Upon hearing a call for help from an American tank which had become disabled 30 yards from them, the 3 soldiers left their shelter and started toward the tank under heavy fire from German machineguns and trench mortars. In crossing the fire-swept area, Cpl. O’Shea was mortally wounded, but his companions, undeterred, proceeded to the tank, rescued a wounded officer, and assisted 2 wounded soldiers to cover in the sap of a nearby trench. Sgts. Latham and Eggers then returned to the tank in the face of the violent fire, dismounted a Hotchkiss gun, and took it back to where the wounded men were keeping off the enemy all day by effective use of the gun and later bringing it with the wounded men back to our lines under cover of darkness.
*LEMERT, MILO
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company G, 119th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and date: Near Bellicourt, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Crossville, Tenn. Birth: Marshalltown, lowa. G.O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919. Citation: Seeing that the left flank of his company was held up, he located the enemy machinegun emplacement, which had been causing heavy casualties. In the face of heavy fire he rushed it single-handed, killing the entire crew with grenades. Continuing along the enemy trench in advance of the company, he reached another emplacement, which he also charged, silencing the gun with grenades. A third machinegun emplacement opened up on him from the left and with similar skill and bravery he destroyed this also. Later, in company with another sergeant, he attacked a fourth machinegun nest, being killed as he reached the parapet of the emplacement. His courageous action in destroying in turn 4 enemy machinegun nests prevented many casualties among his company and very materially aided in achieving the objective.
*LUKE, FRANK, JR. (Air Mission)
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 27th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service. Place and date: Near Murvaux, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Phoenix, Ariz. Born: 19 May 1897, Phoenix, Ariz. G.O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919. Citation: After having previously destroyed a number of enemy aircraft within 17 days he voluntarily started on a patrol after German observation balloons. Though pursued by 8 German planes which were protecting the enemy balloon line, he unhesitatingly attacked and shot down in flames 3 German balloons, being himself under heavy fire from ground batteries and the hostile planes. Severely wounded, he descended to within 50 meters of the ground, and flying at this low altitude near the town of Murvaux opened fire upon enemy troops, killing 6 and wounding as many more. Forced to make a landing and surrounded on all sides by the enemy, who called upon him to surrender, he drew his automatic pistol and defended himself gallantly until he fell dead from a wound in the chest.
*O’SHEA, THOMAS E.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Machine Gun Company, 107th Infantry, 27th Division. Place and date: Near Le Catelet, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Summit, N.J. Birth: New York, N.Y. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: Becoming separated from their platoon by a smoke barrage, Cpl. O’Shea, with 2 other soldiers, took cover in a shell hole well within the enemy’s lines. Upon hearing a call for help from an American tank, which had become disabled 30 yards from them, the 3 soldiers left their shelter and started toward the tank under heavy fire from German machineguns and trench mortars. In crossing the fire-swept area Cpl. O’Shea was mortally wounded and died of his wounds shortly afterwards.
*SMITH, FRED E.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, 308th Infantry, 77th Division. Place and date: Near Binarville, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Bartlett, N. Dak. Birth: Rockford, Ill. G.O. NO.: 49, W.D., 1922. Citation: When communication from the forward regimental post of command to the battalion leading the advance had been interrupted temporarily by the infiltration of small parties of the enemy armed with machineguns, Lt. Col. Smith personally led a party of 2 other officers and 10 soldiers, and went forward to reestablish runner posts and carry ammunition to the front line. The guide became confused and the party strayed to the left flank beyond the outposts of supporting troops, suddenly coming under fire from a group of enemy machineguns only 50 yards away. Shouting to the other members of his party to take cover this officer, in disregard of his danger, drew his pistol and opened fire on the German guncrew. About this time he fell, severely wounded in the side, but regaining his footing, he continued to fire on the enemy until most of the men in his party were out of danger. Refusing first-aid treatment he then made his way in plain view of the enemy to a handgrenade dump and returned under continued heavy machinegun fire for the purpose of making another attack on the enemy emplacements. As he was attempting to ascertain the exact location of the nearest nest, he again fell, mortally wounded .
VALENTE, MICHAEL
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company D, 107th Infantry, 27th Division. Place and date: East of Ronssoy, France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Ogdensburg N.Y. Born: 5 February 1895, Cassino, Italy. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., i929. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy during the operations against the Hindenburg line, east of Ronssoy, France, 29 September 1918. Finding the advance of his organization held up by a withering enemy machinegun fire, Pvt. Valente volunteered to go forward. With utter disregard of his own personal danger, accompanied by another soldier, Pvt. Valente rushed forward through an intense machinegun fire directly upon the enemy nest, killing 2 and capturing 5 of the enemy and silencing the gun. Discovering another machinegun nest close by which was pouring a deadly fire on the American forces, preventing their advance, Pvt. Valente and his companion charged upon this strong point, killing the gunner and putting this machinegun out of action. Without hesitation they jumped into the enemy’s trench, killed 2 and captured 16 German soldiers. Pvt. Valente was later wounded and sent to the rear.
*CHRISTIANSON, STANLEY R.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company E, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Seoul, Korea, 29 September 1950. Entered service at: Mindoro, Wis. Born: 24 January 1925, Mindoro, Wis. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company E, in action against enemy aggressor forces at Hill 132, in the early morning hours. Manning 1 of the several listening posts covering approaches to the platoon area when the enemy commenced the attack, Pfc. Christianson quickly sent another marine to alert the rest of the platoon. Without orders, he remained in his position and, with full knowledge that he would have slight chance of escape, fired relentlessly at oncoming hostile troops attacking furiously with rifles, automatic weapons, and incendiary grenades. Accounting for 7 enemy dead in the immediate vicinity before his position was overrun and he himself fatally struck down, Pfc. Christianson, by his superb courage, valiant fighting spirit, and devotion to duty, was responsible for allowing the rest of the platoon time to man positions, build up a stronger defense on that flank, and repel the attack with 41 of the enemy destroyed, many more wounded, and 3 taken prisoner. His self-sacrificing actions in the face of overwhelming odds sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. Pfc. Christianson gallantly gave his life for his country.
*MONSOOR, MICHAEL A.
Rank and organization: Master-At-Arms Second Class, SEAL Team 3, Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula,U.S. Navy. Place and Date: Ar Ramadi, Iraq, 29 September 2006. Entered Service at: Garden Grove, CA. Born: 5 April 1981, Long Beach, California. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Automatic Weapons Gunner in SEAL Team 3, Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 29 September 2006. As a member of a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army sniper overwatch element, tasked with providing early warning and stand-off protection from a rooftop in an insurgent-held sector of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer Monsoor distinguished himself by his exceptional bravery in the face of grave danger. In the early morning, insurgents prepared to execute a coordinated attack by reconnoitering the area around the element’s position. Element snipers thwarted the enemy’s initial attempt by eliminating two insurgents. The enemy continued to assault the element, engaging them with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. As enemy activity increased, Petty Officer Monsoor took position with his machine gun between two teammates on an outcropping of the roof. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor’s chest and landed in front of him. Although only he could have escaped the blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead to protect his teammates. Instantly and without regard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of his two teammates. By his undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
