Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

John P. Schnitzer (1854 – October 26, 1904) was an American soldier and wagoner in the U.S. Army who served with both the 23rd U.S. Infantry and

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 ...

in the

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

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 was awarded the Medal of Honor, along with First Lieutenant Wilber Wilder, for rescuing a fellow soldier under heavy fire while fighting the Apache at Horseshoe Canyon on April 23, 1882, which he received fourteen years later.

Biography

John P. Schnitzer was born in Kempten, Bavaria in 1854. He later emigrated to the United States and lived in New York City, New York before joining the United States Army from

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, ...

in February 1882. Taking part in the

military campaigns A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

against the

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 ...

, he saw considerable action with the

4th U.S. Cavalry The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage is traced back to the mid-19th century. It was one of the most effective units of the Army against American Indians on the Texas frontier. Today, the regiment exi ...

, in which he was also a

wagoneer The Jeep Wagoneer is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) nameplate of Jeep vehicles, with several models marketed for the 1963 through 1993 model years and again since the 2022 model year. Various versions of the Wagoneer were manufactured in the US ...

for Troop G, during the

in the

. On April 23, 1882, his patrol came under attack by a hostile band of

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 ...

at Horseshoe Canyon. When one of his comrades, Private Edward Leonard, was wounded in the fight he and First Lieutenant Wilber Wilder risked their lives under heavy enemy fire to rescue him. Both men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions, United States Department of War. ''Official Army Register, January 1894''. Washington, D.C.: Adjutant Generals Office, 1894. (pg. 329)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. 539)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. 93) Schnitzer being awarded his fourteen years after the incident.Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. ''Medal of Honor recipients, 1863-1978, 96th Cong., 1st sess''. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979. (pg. 312)Melzer, Richard. ''Buried Treasures: Famous and Unusual Gravesites in New Mexico History''. Santa Fe: Sunstone Press, 2007. (pg. 286) On June 8, 1885, while serving with the 23rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, Schnitzer was again cited for heroism in a battle with the Chiricahua Apache in Guadeloupe Canyon on the New Mexico-Arizona territorial border. He and several other members of the 23rd Infantry's H Company were attacked while guarding a U.S. Army supply train. Three men were killed in the fighting and the Apache succeeded in seizing much ammunition and army rations. Schnitzer managed to escape carrying his mortally wounded sergeant out of the canyon while "under heavy fire within a short distance of the hostile Indians concealed in the rocks". Schnitzer remained in the New Mexico Territory until his death from tuberculosis at Fort Bayard on October 26, 1904, at the age 50. Some sources list his date of death as 1906, although the former date is on his tombstone. He and fellow Apache War veteran Alonzo Bowman are the only two MOH recipients buried at

Fort Bayard National Cemetery Fort Bayard National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the Fort Bayard Historic District, near Silver City, New Mexico. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2020, had 6,000 interments. It is one of two national cemeteries in New Me ...

.Heim, Michael. ''Exploring America's Highways: Minnesota Trip Trivia''. Wabasha, Minnesota: Exploring America's Highway, 2004. (pg. 275)

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Wagoner, Troop G, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Horseshoe Canyon, N. Mex., 23 April 1882. Entered service at:--. Birth: Bavaria. Date of issue: 17 August 1896. Citation:

Assisted, under a heavy fire, to rescue a wounded comrade.

References

External links

* Retrieved on December 29, 2010
Indian War Campaigns Medal of Honor Recipients for the United States Army
at Army Knowledge Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Schnitzer, John 1854 births 1904 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from New York City United States Army soldiers German-born Medal of Honor recipients Bavarian emigrants to the United States American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

Further reading

Articles

Books

External links