William O'Neill (c. 1848 – unknown) was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 4th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He was one of several men who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry while fighting the Comanche at Red River of the South on September 29, 1872.
William O'Neill | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1848 Tariffville, Connecticut, United States |
| Died | ? |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | c. 1871–1872 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 4th U.S. Cavalry |
| Battles / wars | Indian Wars Red River War Battle of the North Fork of the Red River |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Biography
editWilliam O'Neill was born in Tariffville, Connecticut in about 1848. He later moved to New York City, New York where he enlisted in the U.S. Army. O'Neill was assigned to frontier duty with Company I of the 4th U.S. Cavalry and later took part in the Red River War. In late-September 1872, O'Neill was among the cavalry troopers who followed Colonel Ranald Slidell Mackenzie in an expedition over the Staked Plains of Texas. After a one-day march to reach the North Fork of the Red River, his regiment encountered large encampment of 280 Comanche warriors on September 29. Although the cavalrymen attempted to take the enemy by surprise, the Indians' ponies stampeded at the soldiers approach alerting the camp. Engaged in fierce combat with the Comanche, O'Neill and his company led the advance and were able to secure the camp with the loss of only one trooper killed and three others wounded. The Mow-wi tribe of Comanche, who lost 23 braves in the battle, were humbled by this victory and surrendered at Fort Sill ending 17 years of continuous warfare. On November 19, 1872, O'Neill was among the soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for "bravery in action".[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] A memorial marker was also erected in his memory at Fort Concho National Historic Landmark in San Angelo, Texas.[9]
Medal of Honor citation
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Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Red River, Tex., 29 September 1872. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Tariffville, Conn. Date of issue: 19 November 1872.
Citation:
Bravery in action.[10]
See also
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References
edit- ^ 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. 167-168)
- ^ Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medal of Honor recipients, 1863-1978, 96th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979. (pg. 307)
- ^ 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. 320) ISBN 0-939526-19-0
- ^ 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. 27) ISBN 0-935269-07-X
- ^ Neal, Charles M. Valor Across the Lone Star: The Congressional Medal of Honor in Frontier Texas. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2003. (pg. 458) ISBN 0-87611-184-3
- ^ Yenne, Bill. Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-59416-016-3
- ^ Sterner, C. Douglas (1999). "MOH Citation for William O'Neill". MOH Recipients: Indian Campaigns. HomeofHeroes.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
- ^ Army Times Publishing Company. "Military Times Hall of Valor: William O'Neill". Awards and Citations: Medal of Honor. MilitaryTimes.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
- ^ Sterner, C. Douglas (1999). "Photo of Grave site of MOH Recipient William O'Neill". Medal of Honor recipient Gravesites In National Cemeteries. HomeofHeroes.com. Retrieved June 25, 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 June 29, 2009.
Further reading
edit- Konstantin, Phil. This Day in North American Indian History: Important Dates in the History of North America's Native Peoples for Every Calendar Day. New York: Da Capo Press, 2002. ISBN 0-306-81170-7