Zachariah T. Woodall (September 1849 – September 12, 1899) was a soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the

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 ...

during the Red River War, and later in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. He was one of six men who 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. ...

who, while in command of an 8-man courier detail, engaged in a running battle with a hostile force of 125 Indians at the

Washita River The Washita River () is a river in the states of Texas and Oklahoma in the United States. The river is long and terminates at its confluence with the Red River, which is now part of Lake Texoma () on the TexasOklahoma border. Geography The ...

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 12, 1874.Manning, Robert, ed. ''Above and Beyond: A History of the Medal of Honor from the Civil War to Vietnam''. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1985. (pg. 68-69) O'Neal, Bill. ''A Biographical Encyclopedia of the Mountain Men, Soldiers, Cowboys, and Pioneers Who Took Up Arms During America's Westward Expansion''. Stillwater, Oklahoma: Barbed Wire Press, 1991. (pg. 28) Yenne, Bill. ''Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West''. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. (pg. 167) Cruse, J. Brett. ''Battles of the Red River War: Archeological Perspectives on the Indian campaign of 1874''. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2008. (pg. 87–91, 162)

Biography

Born in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

in 1849, Zachariah T. Woodall enlisted in the U.S. Army following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Sent out west to the frontier, Woodall became an experienced Native American fighter and eventually reached the rank of sergeant. During the Red River War, he served on the Texas frontier with the

. On the morning of September 12, 1874, Woodall led a 6-man courier detail including cavalry troopers Pvt. John Harrington, Pvt. Peter Roth, Pvt. George W. Smith, and civilian scouts

Amos Chapman Amos Chapman (1839–1925) was a civilian scout who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry while in service of the United States Army during the Indian Wars. His medal was later revoked before he died as he was a civilian, but was reinstated ...

and Billy Dixon. They were assigned to find a supply train under Captain Wyllys Lyman and direct them to Colonel

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American military general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding Gen ...

' new encampment on

McClellan Creek McClellan Creek is a river in Texas. Named after George B. McClellan, who with his future father-in-law, Randolph B. Marcy, made a survey of the area in 1851–52, looking for a route for the Southern Pacific Railroad.Carter, R.G., 1935, ''On the ...

. On their way to the wagon train, Woodall and his men were suddenly ambushed and encircled by a force of 125 Native Americans at the

. Caught out in the open, and with virtually no cover, Woodall and his men dismounted and engaged the Native Americans. After four hours of fighting, they had lost their horses and all the soldiers had been wounded. Making their way to a nearby

buffalo wallow A buffalo wallow or bison wallow is a natural topographical depression in flat prairie land that holds rain water and surface runoff, runoff. Though thriving bison herds roamed and grazed the great prairies of North America for thousands of yea ...

, they continued fighting the Native Americans throughout the day and managed to hold the hostiles off despite being outnumbered 25-to-1. They were eventually found by members of the 8th U.S. Cavalry, then rescued by Colonel Miles' troops and brought to Fort Supply to recover from their wounds. All six men, including Woodall, were awarded the

for their participation in what would become known as the

Battle of Buffalo Wallow The Battle of the Upper Washita River or the Battle of the Upper Washita, which is sometimes known by its major engagement, the Battle of Lyman's Wagon Train, was a five-day armed engagement between combined forces of the Comanche and Kiowa tr ...

. Woodall remained in the military for the next 25 years. While serving in the

, he died at Cabana Fortress in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

on September 12, 1899. He was later interred 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 National Cemetery
/ref>

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company I, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Wichita River, Tex., 12 September 1874. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Alexandria, Va. Date of issue: 7 November 1874. Citation:

While in command of 5 men and carrying dispatches, was attacked by 125 Indians, who, he with his command fought throughout the day, he being severely wounded.

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

Further reading