Julius Henry Stickoffer (c. 1845 – September 3, 1925) was a Swiss-born American soldier in the U.S. Army who served as a saddler with the 8th U.S. Cavalry during the Black Hawk War. Stickoffer was cited for gallantry in action against hostile Indians at Cienaga Springs in the Utah Territory on November 11, 1868, for which he received the Medal of Honor two years later. He was the only member of the United States armed forces to win the award during the seven-year conflict.
Julius H. Stickoffer | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1845 Switzerland |
| Died | September 23, 1925 (aged 80) Yountville, California, United States |
| Place of burial | Veterans Memorial Grove Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1866–1871, 1872 |
| Rank | Saddler |
| Unit | 8th U.S. Cavalry |
| Battles / wars | Indian Wars Black Hawk War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Biography
editStickoffer was born in Switzerland circa 1845, and later emigrated to the United States where he settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. He joined the United States Army from that city in November 1866 and was assigned to Company L of the 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment as a saddler.[1][2] Sent to the Utah Territory for frontier duty, he took part in campaigns against the Ute, Paiute and Navajo tribes under led the Ute chieftain Antonga Black Hawk. On November 11, 1868, he and members of the 8th U.S. Cavalry battled the Indians at Cienaga Springs. Stickoffer won distinction during the fight and was awarded the Medal of Honor[1][3][4][5][6] for "gallantry in action" on March 3, 1870.[2][7][8] He was the only one to receive the award during the U.S. Army's entire Indian campaign in Utah. He was discharged in November 1871. He re-enlisted in February 1872, but deserted in September of that year,[9] eventually moved to Yountville, California where he lived until his death on September 3, 1925. He is one of three MOH winners, along with Sergeants Joseph Leonard and John Moriarity, buried at Veterans Memorial Grove Cemetery.[10]
Medal of Honor citation
editRank and organization: Saddler, Company L, 8th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Cienaga Springs, Utah, 11 November 1868. Entered service at:--. Birth: Switzerland. Date of issue: 3 March 1870.
Gallantry in action.[11]
See also
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References
edit- ^ a b Beyer, Walter F. and Oscar Frederick Keydel, ed. Deeds of Valor: From Records in the Archives of the United States Government; how American Heroes Won the Medal of Honor; History of Our Recent Wars and Explorations, from Personal Reminiscences and Records of Officers and Enlisted Men who Were Rewarded by Congress for Most Conspicuous Acts of Bravery on the Battle-field, on the High Seas and in Arctic Explorations. Vol. 2. Detroit: Perrien-Keydel Company, 1906. (pg. 553)
- ^ a b Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medal of Honor recipients, 1863-1978, 96th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979. (pg. 316, 1067)
- ^ 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. 327) ISBN 0-939526-19-0
- ^ Hannings, Bud. A Portrait of the Stars and Stripes. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Seniram Publishing, 1988. (pg. 400) ISBN 0-922564-00-0
- ^ O'Neal, Bill. Fighting Men of the Indian Wars: 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. 25) ISBN 0-935269-07-X
- ^ Yenne, Bill. Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. (pg. 140) ISBN 1-59416-016-3
- ^ Sterner, C. Douglas (1999). "MOH Citation for Julius H. Stickoffer". MOH Recipients: Indian Campaigns. HomeofHeroes.com. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ Army Times Publishing Company. "Military Times Hall of Valor: Julius Henry Stickoffer". Awards and Citations: Medal of Honor. MilitaryTimes.com. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ Register of Enlistments in the US Army, 1798-1914.
- ^ Sterner, C. Douglas (1999). "Photo of Grave site of MOH Recipient Julius Henry Stickoffer". Medal of Honor Recipient Gravesites In The State of. HomeofHeroes.com. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ "Medal of Honor recipients". Indian War Campaigns. United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2010.