Bernhard Jetter (February 26, 1862 – August 23, 1927) was a German-born soldier in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

who served with the

7th U.S. Cavalry The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Irish air " Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated in some of the largest ba ...

during 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 ...

. He was one of twenty men who received 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 gallantry against the

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, a ...

at the Battle of Wounded Knee, but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre, in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

on December 29, 1890.

Biography

Bernhard Jetter was born in Württemberg, Germany in 1862."New York Naturalization Index (Soundex), 1792-1906," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVT7-Y1ZK : 13 February 2015), Bernhard Jetter, 1896; citing New York City, New York, New York, United States, Index to Naturalization Petitions filed in Federal, state and local court in New York, 1792-1906, NARA microfilm publication M1674 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 121; FHL microfilm 1,420,362. He immigrated into the United States at

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on April 17, 1881."New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVSK-T1TQ : 15 April 2015), Bernhard Jetter, 1881; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm . He enlisted in K Troop,

7th Cavalry Regiment The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Ireland, Irish air "Garryowen (air), Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated i ...

on May 5, 1883 in New York City. He was promoted to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

; he was discharged on May 4, 1888 upon his termination of service at

Rapid City Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

with a character rating of excellent."United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDR-QXNM : 24 May 2014), Bernhard Jetter, 05 Jun 1883; citing p. 165, volume 080, New York, , , United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 42; FHL microfilm 350,348. Bernard Jetter ''(sic)'' re-enlisted near Rapid City on June 5, 1888."United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRQ6-JRD : 4 December 2014), Bernard Jetter, 05 Jun 1888; citing p. 276, volume 85, Rapid City, , Dakota Territory, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 44; FHL microfilm 1,319,377. Jetter was among the cavalry troops sent to arrest Chief Big Foot and disarm his

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...

followers and, on the morning of December 29, 1890, surrounded their camp on the banks of

Wounded Knee Creek Wounded Knee Creek is a tributary of the White River, approximately 100 miles (160 km) long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 30, 2011 in Oglala Lakota County, ...

. In the ensuing Wounded Knee Massacre, Jetter and several other soldiers took part in search-and-destroy missions along White Clay Creek and were cited for "distinguished bravery" in skirmishes against the Sioux. Jetter himself was witnessed "killing an Indian who was in the act of killing a wounded man" in his unit. He and nineteen other members of his regiment were awarded the

on April 24, 1891. Jetter was discharged as a first sergeant on June 4, 1893 at Fort Sheridan. He immediately re-enlisted on June 5, 1893 at Fort Sheridan."United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDR-461Q : 24 May 2014), Bernhard Jetter, 05 Jun 1893; citing p. 271, volume 090, Fort Sheridan, , Illinois, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 47; FHL microfilm 1,319,380. Jetter was naturalized as a U.S. Citizen on July 10, 1896 in the

U.S. District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

in New York, New York; his occupation at the time was "U.S. soldier." He was discharged by authority of a special order on September 4, 1896 as a first sergeant at Fort Huachuca, Arizona Territory was a character rating of excellent. Jetter married Rose Elizabeth Wagner on June 3, 1916 in New York, New York, giving his marital status as widowed."New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24QF-GLC : 20 March 2015), Bernhard Jetter and Rose Elizabeth Wagner, 03 Jun 1916; citing Marriage, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York City Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,614,519. Jetter returned to Brooklyn after leaving military service and died in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

on August 23, 1927 at the age of 65; his wife Rose survived him."New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W52-7Y6 : 20 March 2015), Bernhard Jetter, 23 Aug 1927; citing Death, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,048,625. He was interred at Cypress Hills National Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company K, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Sioux campaign, December 1890. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 24 April 1891. Citation:

Distinguished bravery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jetter, Bernhard 1862 births 1927 deaths American military personnel of the Indian Wars United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from New York City United States Army soldiers German-born Medal of Honor recipients German emigrants to the United States American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Pine Ridge Campaign

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References