First Sergeant William McNamara (1835 – March 16, 1912) was an Irish-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, cla ...
who served 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 ...
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 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 the
Comanche Indians
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in Law ...
at the
Red River in
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 September 29, 1872.
Biography
William McNamara was born in County Mayo, Ireland about 1835. He emigrated to the United States and enlisted in the U.S. Army in Baltimore, Maryland. Spending much of his military career after the Civil War on the frontier, McNamara participated in campaigns against the Southern Plains Indians for over 20 years, becoming a veteran Indian fighter. By the early 1870s, he was a First sergeant in Company F of the fourth U.S. Cavalry then stationed in Texas.
On September 28, 1872, he was part of Colonel
Ranald S. Mackenzie
Ranald Slidell Mackenzie, also called Bad Hand, (July 27, 1840 – January 19, 1889) was a career United States Army officer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was described by General Ulysses S. Grant as its ...
's expedition over the Staked Plains. Following a one-day march to the North Fork of the Red River, a lodge encampment of around 280 Mow-wi Comanche warriors was discovered. Though vastly outnumbered, MacKenzie ordered an attack hoping to catch the Comanche by surprise. The soldiers approached, however, startled the Indian's ponies and started a stampede alerting the camp. In the ensuing battle, the cavalry troopers engaged in fierce fighting with the Comanche warriors. As a result of MacKenzie's victory, the Mow-wi formally surrendered at Fort Sill ending 17 years of warfare. McNamara was among those who distinguished themselves in the fight and, with eight other members of his regiment, received the Medal of Honor for "gallantry in action". The other men awarded the MOH included Blacksmith James Pratt, Farrier David Larkin, Privates Edward Branagan and William Rankin, Corporals Henry McMasters and William O'Neill, Sergeants William Wilson and William Foster. McNamara eventually left the military and settled in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, rejoining his children, where he died on 1912, at the age of 72.
[http://homeofheroes.com/gravesites/states/pages_go/mcnamara_william_ny.html download May 15, 2017]
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company F, fourth U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., September 29, 1872. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Ireland, Date of issue: November 19, 1872.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNamara, William
United States Army soldiers
1835 births
1912 deaths
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor