Frank Charles High (June 7, 1875 – December 13, 1966) was a

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 ...

soldier 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 his actions during the

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 ...

. High was one of thirteen members of

Young's Scouts Young's Scouts was a select group of United States Army soldiers during the Philippine–American War organized under a Vermont civilian named William Henry Young. Unit history Because of his previous experience as a soldier and soldier of fort ...

awarded the Medal of Honor for actions between May 13 and May 16, 1899. High was born in

Yolo County, California Yolo County (; Wintun: ''Yo-loy''), officially the County of Yolo, is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 216,403. Its county seat is Woodland. Yolo County is incl ...

, where his family owned a

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

. He enlisted in the Army from

Picard, California Picard is a former settlement in Siskiyou County, California. It was at an elevation of 1300 m; all that remains is the cemetery. Famous people * Frank C. High, American soldier, recipient of the Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is t ...

, and later arrived in

Jacksonville, Oregon Jacksonville is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, approximately west of Medford. It was named for Jackson Creek, which flows through the community and was the site of one of the first placer gold claims in the area. It includes J ...

, from where he joined the 2nd Oregon Volunteers. During the

, he was a member of

. On May 16, 1899, Filipino fighters set fire to an important bridge near San Isidro. The river could not be forded, so High and other scouts rushed across the burning bridge, despite intense enemy fire, and engaged the entrenched Filipino forces. For these actions, High was awarded the Medal of Honor. After returning home, High settled in

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 cen ...

, where he lived until his death at age 91. He is buried at Memory Gardens Cemetery and Memorial Park in nearby Medford. High Street in Ashland is named in his honor.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company G, 2d Oregon Volunteer Infantry. Place and Date: Near San Isidro,

Philippine Islands The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, May 16, 1899. Entered Service At:

. Birth:

, Calif. Date of Issue: Unknown. Citation:

With 21 other scouts charged across a burning bridge, under heavy fire, and completely routed 600 of the enemy who were entrenched in a strongly fortified position.

References

: 1875 births 1966 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army soldiers People from Ashland, Oregon People from Yolo County, California People from Siskiyou County, California Military personnel from California American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Philippine–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor {{Oregon-bio-stub

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References