James Anderson (May 28, 1849 – May 31, 1918), born James Anderson Smythe, was a Canadian-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with 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 ...

during the

Texas–Indian Wars The Texas–Indian wars were a series of conflicts between settlers in Texas and the Southern Plains Indians during the 19th-century. Conflict between the Plains Indians and the Spanish began before other European and Anglo-American settlers wer ...

. He was one of six men 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 against a hostile band of

Plains Indians Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nation band governments who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of N ...

at the

Wichita River The Wichita River ( ), part of the Red River watershed, lies in north-central Texas. Rising in northeastern Knox County at the confluence of its North and South Forks, the river flows northeast across Baylor, Archer, Wichita, and Clay count ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

on October 5, 1870.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. 325)Manning, Robert, ed. ''Above and Beyond: A History of the Medal of Honor from the Civil War to Vietnam''. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1985. (pg. 325) Hamilton, Allen Lee. ''Sentinel of the Southern Plains: Fort Richardson and the Northwest Texas Frontier, 1866-1878''. Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1988. (pg. 193) Hannings, Bud. ''A Portrait of the Stars and Stripes''. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Seniram Publishing, 1988. (pg. 267) 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. 27) Neal, Charles M. ''Valor Across the Lone Star: The Congressional Medal of Honor in Frontier Texas''. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2003. (pg. 77, 320) Yenne, Bill. ''Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West''. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. (pg. 159) Nunnally, Michael L. ''American Indian Wars: A Chronology of Confrontations Between Native Peoples and Settlers and the United States Military, 1500s-1901''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2007. (pg. 126)

Biography

James Anderson Smythe was born in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on May 28, 1849. He eventually emigrated to the United States and enlisted in the U.S. Army, under the name James Anderson, around 1870. Smythe served with the

and assigned frontier duty in Northwestern Texas. On October 5, 1870, he participated in a running battle with hostile

at the

. He and five other men, including Sgt. Michael Welch, Cpl.

Samuel Bowden Samuel Bowden may refer to: * Samuel Bowden (poet) * Samuel Bowden (cricketer) * Samuel Bowden (Medal of Honor) {{hndis, Bowden, Samuel ...

, Cpl. Daniel Keating, Pvt. Benjamin Wilson and Indian guide James B. Doshier, received the

for "gallantry during the pursuit and fight with Indians" a month after what would become known as the "Skirmish at Bluff Creek". Smythe remained in the army for another ten years, rising to the rank of

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. On November 14, 1880, he married Nellie E. Hanlon and together they moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He worked as stationery engineer for the rest of his life. Smythe's health began to decline in 1917 and he died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

on May 31, 1918, only three days after his 69th birthday. He was buried at St. Peter and Paul's Cemetery in St. Louis. Smythe was survived by his wife Nellie; the couple had no children.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Company M, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Wichita River, Tex., October 5, 1870. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Canada East. Date of issue: November 19, 1870. Citation:

Gallantry during the pursuit and fight with Indians.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, James 1849 births 1918 deaths United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from St. Louis Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian-born Medal of Honor recipients American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Infectious disease deaths in Missouri United States Army officers Deaths from pneumonia in Missouri

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links