Daniel Farren (born c. 1848 – unknown) was an Irish-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 8th U.S. Cavalry during the

Apache Wars The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexic ...

. 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 gallantry fighting the

Apache Indians 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 and ...

in the Black Mountains of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

from August to October 1868.

Biography

Daniel Farren was born in

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in about 1848. He later emigrated to the United States and enlisted in the U.S. Army in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He joined Company B of the 8th U.S. Cavalry and assigned to frontier duty in the

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...

during the late-1860s. He was part of a small cavalry detachment numbering 50 or 60 soldiers, mostly from Company B and Company L, that protected settlers from

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 ...

raiding parties during the late summer and autumn of 1868. Farren and the other troopers often fought the Apache during their patrols, most often in ambushes and sniper attacks from hidden ravines, many of whom were cited for gallantry in this period. Farren won particular distinction fighting the Apache in the Black Mountains. In one of the largest award presentations at the time, he was among the thirty-four troopers who received the

Beyer, Walter F. and Oscar Frederick Keydel, ed. ''Deeds of Valor: From Records in the Archives of the United States Government; how American Heroes Won the Medal of Honor; History of Our Recent Wars and Explorations, from Personal Reminiscences and Records of Officers and Enlisted Men who Were Rewarded by Congress for Most Conspicuous Acts of Bravery on the Battle-field, on the High Seas and in Arctic Explorations''. Vol. 2. Detroit: Perrien-Keydel Company, 1906. (p. 145) for "bravery in scouts and actions against Indians" on July 24, 1869. Nothing is known from him after he deserted in October 1870.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 8th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: Arizona, August to October 1868. Entered service at:------. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: July 24, 1869. Citation:

Bravery in scouts and actions against Indians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farren, Daniel 1840s births 19th-century Irish people Irish soldiers in the United States Army Year of death missing United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from County Londonderry Military personnel from Philadelphia United States Army soldiers Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients Irish emigrants to the United States American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References