Sergeant John Thompson (1842 – unknown) was a Scottish-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
1st U.S. Cavalry
The 1st Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army regiment that has its antecedents in the early 19th century in the formation of the United States Regiment of Dragoons. To this day, the unit's special designation is "First Regiment of Dragoon ...
during the
Apache Wars. 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 valo ...
for gallantry against 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 an ...
at the
Chiricahua Mountains
The Chiricahua Mountains massif is a large mountain range in southeastern Arizona which is part of the Basin and Range province of the west and southwestern United States and northwest Mexico; the range is part of the Coronado National Forest. ...
of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
on October 20, 1869.
Biography
John Thompson was born in
Glasgow, Scotland in 1842. He later emigrated to the United States and enlisted as a
private 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 ...
in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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. A member of the
1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment, Thompson saw action during the
Apache Wars in the
Arizona Territory and eventually reached the rank of
sergeant. On October 20, 1869, he distinguished himself in battle against the
Apache in the
Chiricahua Mountains
The Chiricahua Mountains massif is a large mountain range in southeastern Arizona which is part of the Basin and Range province of the west and southwestern United States and northwest Mexico; the range is part of the Coronado National Forest. ...
and 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 valo ...
for "bravery in action with Indians".
[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. ]
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company G, 1st U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Chiricahua Mountains, Ariz., 20 October 1869. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: 14 February 1870.
Citation:
Bravery in action with Indians.
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
Indian Wars is the name generally used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between the colonial or federal government and the Native people of North America.
The wars, which ranged from the 17th-century (King Philip's War, Kin ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, John
1842 births
Year of death missing
American military personnel of the Indian Wars
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
Military personnel from Glasgow
People from Chicago
United States Army soldiers
Scottish-born Medal of Honor recipients
Scottish emigrants to the United States
American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor