Buffalo Soldier Medal of Honor Recipients
The Fort Concho, Texas Connection
Buffalo Soldiers received recognition for their heroics in the American West as well as their serving during the Spanish-American War alongside Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders in Cuba. Their valor and dedication resulted in twenty-three of those soldiers being presented the Medal of Honor including five enlisted men who served at Fort Concho. They were:
Sergeant Emanuel Stance, Company F, 9th Cavalry
Place and Date: Kickapoo Springs, Texas, May 20, 1870
Citation: Gallantry on scout after Indians.
Emanuel Stance, born in 1844 in Carroll Parish, Louisiana, became the first African American soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor in the post-Civil War era. He traced his roots in the U.S. Army to October 2, 1866. On that day, with fifty other men in Lake Providence, Louisiana, Stance added his name to the roster of the 9th Cavalry. The recruit enjoyed an advantage over most of this group in that he could read and write. Armed with this knowledge, by March 1867, Stance rose to sergeant. He remained a non-commissioned officer for the remainder of his career. On May 20, 1870, he rode with a patrol to recover two kidnapped boys captured by an Apache raiding party. Near Kickapoo Springs, about fourteen miles north of Fort McKavett, Texas, the patrol charged the kidnappers. In recognition of his brave deeds, on June 28, 1870, Stance received the Medal of Honor.
Despite his coolness in combat, Stance proved to be a harsh disciplinarian. His sometimes-brutal treatment of subordinates may have been the cause for his murder. On December 25, 1887, passersby found the fatally wounded sergeant on the roadside between the post and local civilian community. No one ever stood trial for the murder. He would be buried at the post cemetery and later reinterred at Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, Nebraska.
Sergeant Henry Johnson, Company D, 9th Cavalry
Place and Date: Milk River, Colorado, October 2, 1879
Citation: 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.
In 1866, Henry Johnson from Boydton, Virginia enlisted at Detroit, Michigan as an original member of Company F, 10th Cavalry. During June 1877, he transferred to Company D, 9th Cavalry in June 1877, which brought him to Fort Wallace, Kansas as well as patrol duty in southern Colorado.
On September 29, 1879, Ute warriors struck a blow against upwards of 175 soldiers and militiamen from Fort Steele, Wyoming near Milk Creek, Colorado. They laid siege to the white enemy whom they considered to be invaders. On October 2, 1879, Captain Francis Dodge, Sergeant Henry Johnson, and other members of Company D galloped in as reinforcements. They successfully entered the makeshift fortifications without incident. Over the following three days, Ute marksmen killed all the company’s horses except for four wounded mounts. During the bitter battle, Johnson voluntarily left fortified shelter and under heavy fire at close range made the rounds of the rifle pits to instruct the guards. He also fought his way to a creek outside the defenses to carry water to the wounded. In both instances, he performed bravely under heavy fire from the Utes until a rescue party from the white 5th Cavalry appeared on the scene to halt Ute attack. Years later, because of Johnson’s valor at Milk Creek, he received the Medal of Honor at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, on September 22, 1890.
Johnson remained on active duty during the Apache campaigns in the Southwest as well as serving at the Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation during the winter of 1890–1891. Some seven years later, Johnson retired to take up civilian life in Washington, D.C. He died on January 31, 1904, and received a military burial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. Today he rests under a headstone there in section 23, lot 16547.
Sergeant George Jordan, Company K, 9th Cavalry
Place and Date: Fort Tularosa & Carrizo Canyon, New Mexico, August 12, 1881
Citation: While commanding a detachment of 25 men at Fort Tularosa, N. Mex., repulsed a force of more than 100 Indians. At Carrizo Canyon, N. Mex., while commanding the right of a detachment of 19 men, 12 August 1881, he stubbornly held his ground in an extremely exposed position and gallantly forced back a much superior number of the enemy, preventing them from surrounding the command.
George Jordan, born sometime during 1847 in Williamson County, Tennessee, enlisted in 1866. He first served in the 38th U.S. Infantry, but later in his military career, he transferred to the 9th Cavalry. By 1880, while assigned as a sergeant in Company K, 9th Cavalry in New Mexico he formed part of a patrol sent out against determined Apache, who resisted reservation life that ended their traditional cultural ways. On May 14, 1880, at Fort Tularosa, New Mexico, and again August 12, 1881 at Carrizo Canyon, New Mexico, Jordan exhibited his leadership and extraordinary courage under fire.
On the first occasion: “While commanding a detachment of 25 men at Fort Tularosa, N. Mex.,” he and his command “repulsed a force of more than 100 Indians.” Subsequently, at Carrizo Canyon, New Mexico on August 12, 1881, he stalwartly faced and “forced back a much superior number of the enemy, preventing them from surrounding the command.” Nearly nine years later, on May 7, 1890, Jordan received his Medal of Honor for these engagements.
In 1897, Jordan retired as a first sergeant. He died on October 24, 1904. Today his grave is found at Fort McPherson National Cemetery, Maxwell, Nebraska, Plot: Section F, Site 1131
Sergeant Moses Williams, Company I, 9th Cavalry
Place and Date: Foothills of the Cuchillo Negro Mountains, New Mexico, August 16, 1881
Citation: Rallied a detachment, skillfully conducted a running fight of three or four hours, and by his coolness, bravery, and unflinching devotion to duty in standing by his commanding officer in an exposed position under a heavy fire from a large party of Indians saved the lives of at least three of his comrades.
Moses Williams, born on October 10, 1845, was a native of Carrollton, Louisiana. His enlistment papers stated that his: “Father and Mother died while I was an infant.... One brother died of consumption; one sister died of fever” After he volunteered in October 1866, Williams went to the 9th Cavalry regiment. Like so many others who enlisted at that time, he possessed no education as evidence by signing with an “X”. While in the military, he received the opportunity for an education.
Along with the twelve companies of the 9th Cavalry, he left Louisiana for Texas. By August 1867, he wore the chevrons of his Company F’s first sergeant, an impressive accomplishment given his limited time in uniform. A decade and a half later, on August 16, 1881, Williams now served as a seasoned non-commissioned officer with Company I, 9th Cavalry. On that date, he played a significant role during a fierce fight with Apache warriors near Cuchillo Negro Creek in the Black Range of New Mexico. With his commanding officer dead, the steadfast sergeant performed valiantly for which action he received the Medal of Honor.
Five years later, in 1886, he obtained a rare, coveted position as a post ordnance sergeant, one of the first Black soldiers to do so. By the mid-1890s, he reported to Fort Stevens, Oregon where from 1895 to 1897 he assumed ordnance responsibilities at this complex coastal artillery garrison. Because of poor health, Williams retired on May 12, 1898. By that time, he resided at Vancouver Barracks, Washington. Despite his bravery and exemplary record, Williams had little to show for his faithful service. His meager possessions included nine books, a pipe, a cigar holder, some stamps, a pen, pen points, a bed, some chairs, a few neckties, and $23 in savings. On August 23, 1899, his mortal remains were interred at Fort Vancouver Military Cemetery, Vancouver, Washington.
Sergeant Thomas Shaw, Company K, 9th Cavalry
Place and Date: Carrizo Canyon, New Mexico, August 12, 1881
Citation: Forced the enemy back after stubbornly holding his ground in an extremely exposed position and prevented the enemy's superior numbers from surrounding his command.
As with many others who traced their origins to enslavement, Thomas Shaw’s exact birth date remains unknown. He evidentially was born during 1846 in Covington, Kentucky. At some point, Shaw forcibly moved to Pike County, Missouri. From there he escaped then made his way to a Union Army camp. In 1864, Shaw enlisted as an infantryman in the 67th U.S. Colored Troops. He remained as a Union volunteer until the Civil War ended.
Evidently, he found military life to his liking. Consequently, he joined the 9th Cavalry. Based on descriptions from the time, he possessed an imposing physique but presented himself in such a manner that there was no mistaking that he was a dignified, professional soldier.
In due course, he rose to first sergeant in Company B. Later, he became a staple in Company K, 9th Cavalry. By 1881, as a sergeant with that company, Shaw and his fellow enlisted men hotly pursued Apache Indians in central New Mexico. On August 12, 1881, Company K engaged their elusive capable foe near Carizzo Canyon, New Mexico. The troops soon determined that they faced a force that outnumbered them at least two to one. Nonetheless, they held their ground with Shaw taking up an advanced position to help defend the company. Despite overwhelming enemy numbers and intense fighting, he stubbornly blazed away until the attackers retreated. Because of Thomas Shaw’s tenacious fighting and heroic defense of his men, Company K escaped with minimal casualties. That day, Thomas Shaw along with George Jordan exhibited extraordinary heroism during this close combat. Regrettably, nine years passed before Shaw received the award that he so clearly deserved.
Sergeant Thomas Shaw continued his military service until his 1894 retirement at Fort Myer, Virginia, after being awarded his Medal of Honor in 1890. He settled in Rosslyn, Virginia where he remained until his death on June 23, 1895. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in section 27, grave 952-B.
For Further Reading: Frank N. Schubert, Black Valor: Buffalo Soldiers and the Medal of Honor, 1890-1898 (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, Inc., 1997).