Powhatan Henry Clarke (October 9, 1862 – July 21, 1893) was a United States Army first lieutenant who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor during the

Geronimo Campaign 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 ...

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

, Mexico. He received the medal for rescuing a wounded soldier on May 3, 1886. Clarke was the subject of art by Frederic Remington - ''"Lieutenant Powhatan H Clarke Tenth Cavalry"'' and ''"Soldiering in the Southwest–The Rescue of Corporal Scott"''. Clarke's granddaughter, Bayard Wootten of New Bern North Carolina, was a photographer. Clarke's sister was a writer.

Life

Clarke was born at Ulster Plantation, Boyce, Louisiana on October 9, 1862. He was the grandson of U.S. federal judge Henry Boyce and Irene Archinard, and the son of Louise Frances Boyce and Dr. (Professor) Powhatan Clarke. He partly studied in France. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1884.Thapp (1991), p. 80 Clarke was a

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 ...

in the

10th Cavalry Regiment The 10th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Formed as a segregated African-American unit, the 10th Cavalry was one of the original "Buffalo Soldier" regiments in the post–Civil War Regular Army. It served in combat during t ...

of the Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas. On May 3, 1886, he rescued one of his wounded soldiers, Corporal Edward Scott, who was under heavy fire from

Apache 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 ...

s at Pinito Mountains,

. He received a Medal of Honor for this action. He was the commander of Apache Scouts until 1891. That same year, he became a compatriot of the District of Columbia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and was assigned national membership number 1976. In 1891, he became First Lieutenant and he was transferred to the 9th Cavalry Regiment. From 1891 to 1892 he was an observer, stationed at Düsseldorf, Germany with a Westphalian Hussar regiment. The discipline of the German Army greatly impressed him. He was back with the 10th Cavalry by early 1892. From 1892 until his death in 1893, he lived in Fort Custer, Montana. In 1892 he married Elizabeth Clemens of St. Louis, Missouri; they had one son. After diving into shallow water and striking his head, Clarke drowned in the Little Bighorn River on July 21, 1893, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 10th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Pinito Mountains, Sonora, Mex., May 3, 1886. Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: Alexandria, La. Date of issue: March 12, 1891. Citation:

Rushed forward to the rescue of a soldier who was severely wounded and lay, disabled, exposed to the enemy's fire, and carried him to a place of safety.

References

: Photo courtesy of the Helen and Alfred Wettermark Collection

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Powhatan Henry 1862 births 1893 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Alexandria, Louisiana United States Military Academy alumni Apache Wars American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Deaths by drowning in the United States Accidental deaths in Montana Burials at Calvary Cemetery (St. Louis) American expatriates in Germany Sons of the American Revolution Military personnel from Louisiana

Life

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

Bibliography

External links