Henry Wilkens (1855 – August 2, 1895) 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, cl ...

who served with the 2nd U.S. Cavalry during the

Nez Perce War The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict in 1877 in the Western United States that pitted several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the ''Palus people, Palo ...

. In the summer of 1877, 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 two separate engagements, Little Muddy Creek and Camas Meadows, against

Lame Deer Lame Deer (1821-1877), also called "The Elk that Whistles Running," was a first chief of the Miniconjou Lakota (trans. "They who plant by the water") and vice chief of the Wakpokinyan (trans. "To Fly along the river") band. Biography Lame Deer ...

and the

Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

in the

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

. Wilkens was one of four men who received the award for taking part in the battle of Little Muddy Creek.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. (pg. 234)Hannings, Bud. ''A Portrait of the Stars and Stripes''. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Seniram Publishing, 1988. (pg. 401) O'Neal, Bill. ''Fighting Men of the Indian Wars: A Biographical Encyclopedia of the Mountain Men, Soldiers, Cowboys, and Pioneers Who Took Up Arms During America's Westward Expansion''. Stillwater, Oklahoma: Barbed Wire Press, 1991. (pg. 32) Holt, Dean W. ''American Military Cemeteries: A Comprehensive Illustrated Guide to the Hallowed Grounds of the United States, including Cemeteries Overseas''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1992. (pg. 90) Greene, Jerome A. ''Nez Perce Summer, 1877: The US Army and the Nee-Me-Poo Crisis''. Helena: Montana Historical Society, 2001. (pg. 161) Greene, Jerome A. ''Yellowstone Command: Colonel Nelson A. Miles and the Great Sioux War, 1876-1877''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2006. (pg. 293) Yenne, Bill. ''Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West''. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. (pg. 225, 240)

Biography

Henry Wilkens was born in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1855, and later emigrated to the United States. While living in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, he enlisted in the

and was sent out west to the frontier. He became a member of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry and eventually reached the rank of first sergeant. During the

, he was among the cavalry troopers which did battle with various small bands of renegade Indians hiding throughout the

. He was cited for bravery in two major engagements during the summer months of 1877. On May 7, Wilkens was among the soldiers who stormed

's camp near Little Muddy Creek in the neighboring

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries T ...

. Three months later, he led troops in routing the renegades at Camas Meadows in Idaho on August 20. Despite suffering a serious head injury, Wilkens remained with his company throughout the battle. This included participating in the pursuit of a captured mule train and defending his fellow soldiers when the company was surrounded by the Nez Perce for several hours. He received the

for both engagements on February 28, 1878. Wilkens was one of five men who received the award at Camas Meadows including Cpl. Harry Garland, Pvt. Samuel Phillips, Pvt. William Leonard and Farrier William Jones. Wilkens died in

Brooklyn, New York 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 2, 1895, and buried at

Cypress Hills National Cemetery Cypress Hills National Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is the only United States National Cemetery in New York City and has more than 21,100 interments of veterans and civilians. ...

. He was 40 years old. He and the other MOH recipients of Camas Meadows were referenced in the 1998

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

''Ashes of Heaven'' as part of

Terry C. Johnston Terry Conrad Johnston (1 January 1947 – 25 March 2001) was an American Western fiction author who wrote 31 novels and had more than 10 million books in print. Background He was born in Arkansas City, Kansas. His parents were a junior college pr ...

's ''

Plainsmen Series Terry Conrad Johnston (1 January 1947 – 25 March 2001) was an American Western fiction author who wrote 31 novels and had more than 10 million books in print. Background He was born in Arkansas City, Kansas. His parents were a junior college pr ...

''.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company L, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Muddy Creek, Mont., 7 May 1877; at Camas Meadows, Idaho, 20 August 1877. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 28 February 1878. Citation:

Bravery in actions with Indians.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkens, Henry 1855 births 1895 deaths American military personnel of the Indian Wars United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Pittsburgh People from Brooklyn German emigrants to the United States German-born Medal of Honor recipients United States Army soldiers American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links