George Henry Wanton (May 15, 1868 – November 27, 1940) 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
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
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 valo ...
—for his actions 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 = (cloc ...
. Wanton and three of his fellow Buffalo Soldiers were the last black servicemen to be presented the Medal of Honor for more than half a century.
Biography
Wanton was born on May 15, 1868, in
Paterson, New Jersey, the son of William H. and Margaret (Miller) Wanton.
He served in the Navy from 1884 to 1888, and joined the Army in August 1889. By June 30, 1898, 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 Troop M of the
10th Cavalry Regiment. He and 49 other
Buffalo Soldiers
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 t ...
were selected to serve in a special operations role during
Battle of Tayacoba. On that day, American forces aboard th
''Florida''near
Trinidad, Cuba
Trinidad () is a town in the province of Sancti Spíritus, central Cuba. Together with the nearby Valle de los Ingenios, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988, because of its historical importance as a center of the sugar trade in ...
, dispatched a landing party to provide reconnaissance on
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
outposts in the area prior to a planned deployment of Cuban resistance fighters in the area. The party was discovered by Spanish scouts and came under heavy fire; their boats were sunk by enemy cannon fire, leaving them stranded on shore.
The men aboard the ''Florida'' launched several rescue attempts; the first four were forced to retreat under heavy fire. The fifth attempt, manned by Wanton and three other Privates of the 10th Cavalry (
Dennis Bell,
Fitz Lee, and
William H. Thompkins) under the command of Lieutenant Ahern, launched at night and successfully found and rescued the surviving members of the landing party. Upon return to the ship, Wanton volunteered to go back and retrieve the body of Captain Jose Manuel Núñez (brother of General
Emilio Núñez
Emilio Núñez (born Juan Emilio de la Caridad Núñez y Rodriguez on 27 December 1855 in Esperanza, Las Villas, Cuba – 5 May 1922 in Havana, Cuba) was a Cuban-American soldier, dentist, and politician.Marquez Sterling, Carlos & Manuel; ''Histo ...
) who had been killed on the beach, but this was deemed too risky.
One year later, on June 23, 1899, four of the rescuers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in what had come to be known as the
Battle of Tayacoba.
In November 1921, Wanton was selected as an Honorary Pallbearer at the burial of the
Unknown Soldier.
George Wanton reached the rank of
Master Sergeant and served in the
Quartermaster Corps
Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties:
* Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army
* Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...
before leaving the Army.
He died at age 72 and was buried in
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
,
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...
.
Medal of Honor citation
Private Wanton's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Voluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts at rescue had been frustrated.
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War ( es, Guerra Hispano-Estadounidense, ''desastre del 98'', ''Guerra Hispano-Cubana-Norteamericana'' or ''Guerra de Cuba '') was a military conflict between Spain and the United States that began in April 1898. Hostiliti ...
*
List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. Recipients must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own l ...
References
:
Arlington National Cemetery*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanton, George Henry
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
People from Paterson, New Jersey
United States Army soldiers
Buffalo Soldiers
1868 births
1940 deaths
Spanish–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor