Augustus Walley (March 10, 1856 – April 9, 1938) was a

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

in the

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and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

—for his actions in the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

of the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

Biography

Walley was born into slavery in Reisterstown, Maryland in 1856. He joined the army from

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in November 1878.Register of Enlistments in the US Army, 1798-1914 On August 16, 1881, Walley was serving as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Company I of the

9th Cavalry Regiment The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It is not related to the 9th Kansas Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was pa ...

. On that day, Walley participated in the Battle of Cuchillo Negro Creek in the

Black Range Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

Mountains near Cuchillo Negro Creek of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, where he was cited for " avery in action with hostile

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

s" for helping rescue stranded soldiers under heavy fire. His Lieutenant,

George Ritter Burnett George Ritter Burnett (April 23, 1858 – November 1, 1908) was a United States Army officer who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Life and career Burnett graduated from the United States Military Academy in ...

, and First Sergeant Moses Williams also received the Medal of Honor for their actions in this battle. Nine years later, on October 1, 1890, he was issued the Medal of Honor for his actions during the engagement. Walley retired from the army in February 1907, having also served in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. In 1918, he volunteered for duty at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, but was turned away because of his age. Walley remained in Beauregard as a laborer for the Army for the remainder of the first world war. He died at age 82 and was buried at Saint Luke's Cemetery in

Reisterstown, Maryland Reisterstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, it had a population of 25,968. Founded by German i ...

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Private, Company I, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Cuchillo Negro Mountains, N. Mex., August 16, 1881. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Reistertown, Md. Date of issue: October 1, 1890. Citation:

Bravery in action with hostile Apaches.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Walley, Augustus American people of the Indian Wars United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from Baltimore United States Army soldiers Buffalo Soldiers 1856 births 1938 deaths American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Reistertown, Maryland

Biography

Medal of Honor

See also

References