Thomas Shaw (1846 – June 23, 1895) was a

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

in the

United States 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, cla ...

and a recipient of America's highest military decoration – 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 his actions in the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

of the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

Biography

Thomas Shaw was born into slavery in Covington, Kentucky in 1846. Shaw's owner moved him to Pike County, Missouri, and from there, Shaw escaped his owner and walked into a Union Army recruiting station. Shaw was stationed with the 67th U.S. Colored Troops in 1864 and stayed with the Army after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. By August 12, 1881, was serving as a

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 ...

in Company K of the

9th Cavalry Regiment The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It is not related to the 9th Kansas Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was p ...

. On that day he participated in the Battle of Carrizo Canyon at

Carrizo Canyon Carrizo Canyon is a canyon in San Diego County, California. Its mouth is at an elevation of . It heads at in the mouth of Carrizo Gorge Carrizo Gorge is a valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mount ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. The 9th Cavalry were in pursuit of

Nana Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana (c ...

and his band of Apache warriors (

Victorio's War Victorios War, or the Victorio Campaign, was an armed conflict between the Apache followers of Chief Victorio, the United States, and Mexico beginning in September 1879. Faced with arrest and forcible relocation from his homeland in New Mexico t ...

). For his actions during the engagement, Shaw was awarded the Medal of Honor nine years later, on December 7, 1890. Shaw retired from the Army in 1894 and settled in Rosslyn, Virginia. Shaw died in 1895, leaving a wife and a daughter and was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County is a County (United States), county in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the Washington, D.C., District of Co ...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company K, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Carrizo Canyon, N. Mex., August 12, 1881. Entered service at: Pike County, Mo. Birth: Covington, Ky. Date of issue: December 7, 1890. Citation

Forced the enemy back after stubbornly holding his ground in an extremely exposed position and prevented the enemy's superior numbers from surrounding his command.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Thomas 1846 births 1895 deaths Buffalo Soldiers American people of the Indian Wars United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army soldiers People from Covington, Kentucky Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References