Henry Johnson (Buffalo Soldier)

For the World War I Medal of Honor recipient, see Henry Johnson (World War I soldier).

Henry Johnson
Sergeant Henry Johnson
Born	(1850-06-11)June 11, 1850 Boydton, Virginia
Died
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	9th Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars	Indian Wars
Awards	Medal of Honor

Henry Johnson (June 11, 1850 – January 31, 1904) was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States.

Biography

He was awarded the Medal of Honor at Fort Robinson on September 22, 1890, for his actions during the Battle of Milk Creek against the Ute Indians from October 2-5, 1879 in Colorado. His Medal of Honor citation reads:

Voluntarily left fortified shelter and under heavy fire at close range made the rounds of the pits to instruct the guards, fought his way to the creek and back to bring water to the wounded.

— Indian War Period Medal of Honor recipients, 22 September 1890

At the time of the awarding, he was a private. He had been promoted to sergeant for the third time in 1889, but was demoted after tangling with a bartender at Fort Robinson.

Johnson was a sergeant in Company D. He was cited for twice leaving his position under heavy fire, first to check on his men, then, on October 4, going to the nearby Milk River to obtain water for them. However, some have questioned whether he was under fire when he went for water.

Johnson died on January 31, 1904, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, in section 23, lot 16547.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
• List of African American Medal of Honor recipients

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.