Claron Augustus Windus (January 10, 1850 – October 18, 1927) served in the

United States 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 ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

as a drummer boy,

American 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 ...

as a

bugler The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication i ...

and 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 ...

as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He 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 bravery during a battle with the

Kiowa Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...

Indians in 1870.

Biography

Windus was born on January 10, 1850, in

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jane ...

.U.S. Army Center of Military History
''Medal of Honor Recipients Indian Wars''
. Retrieved December 23, 2011 He served as a drummer boy during the American Civil War.Glasrud, ed., Bruce A
''Brothers to the Buffalo Soldiers: Perspectives on the African American Militia and Volunteers, 1865–1917''
Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2011. . p. 192 Still under age, Windus lied about his age in order to join the

6th U.S. Cavalry The 6th Cavalry ("Fighting Sixth'") is a regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviation ...

Regiment. He received the Medal of Honor for bravery while serving as a bugler during a battle with the

in northern Texas on July 12, 1870. Windus was mustered out of the army in 1871 and became a deputy sheriff at

Brackettville, Texas Brackettville is a city in Kinney County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,688 at the 2010 census, down from 1,876 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kinney County. History Founded in 1852 as "Las Moras" (the name of a nearb ...

. In 1877, Windus shot and killed a fellow Medal of Honor recipient

Adam Paine Adam Paine, or Adam Payne, (1843 – January 1, 1877) was a Black Seminole who served as a United States Army Indian Scout and received America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Indian Wars of the weste ...

, a

Black Seminole The Black Seminoles, or Afro-Seminoles are Native American-Africans associated with the Seminole people in Florida and Oklahoma. They are mostly blood descendants of the Seminole people, free Africans, and escaped slaves, who allied with Seminol ...

, whom Windus was attempting to arrest as a murder suspect. This is the only known instance of one Medal of Honor recipient killing another. During the following 20 years, Windus was a

customs inspector A customs officer is a law enforcement agent who enforces customs laws, on behalf of a government. Canada Canadian customs officers are members of the Canada Border Services Agency. It was created in 2003 and preceded by the Canada Customs and ...

and deputy

United States marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

. In 1898, Windus became a volunteer

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

and served as a

in Company I of the 9th U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the

. Claron A. Windus died at age 77 and was buried at the Masonic Cemetery in

Medal of Honor

His award citation reads:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Bugler Claron Windus, United States Army, for gallantry in action on 12 July 1870, while serving with Company L, 6th U.S. Cavalry, at Wichita River, Texas.

Notes

References

* Glasrud, ed., Bruce A
''Brothers to the Buffalo Soldiers: Perspectives on the African American Militia and Volunteers, 1865–1917''
Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2011. . * U.S. Army Center of Military History

. Retrieved December 23, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Windus, Claron A. People from Janesville, Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army officers American military personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients 1850 births 1927 deaths United States Marshals People from Kinney County, Texas American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from Texas

Biography

Medal of Honor

See also

Notes

References