Today in the history of mounted warfare

[Calendar]

May 9

Today is European Union Day in Europe.

Today is Victory Day in Russia.

48 BC Caesar retreats from Dyracchium

1092 Lincoln Cathedral is consecrated.

1386 England and Portugal sign the Treaty of Windsor, the oldest alliance in Europe still in force.

1502 Christopher Columbus leaves Spain for his fourth and final journey to the New World.

1650 The Battle of Clonmel begins with the first of two assaults. Cromwell's forces are beaten back y Black Hugh O'Neill. Eventually, Cromwell loses up to 2,000 men, but O'Neill, realizing he has a shortage of ammunition, secretly withdraws.

1671 Colonel Thomas Blood dresses as a clergyman and attempts to steal the British crown jewels from the Tower of London.

1760 François, Duc de Lévis abandons Quebec when the frigate Lowestoft arrives to relieve the British.

1763 The Siege of Fort Detroit begins.

1790 Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatamies, and Hurons cede two million acres in Ontario.

1813 U.S. troops under William Henry Harrison relieved Fort Meigs from siege by British and Canadian troops.

1800 John Brown, radical abolitionist, born.

1813 British Major General Henry Proctor ends day siege of Americans at Fort Meigs due to his militiamen deserting.

1831 Alexis de Tocqueville arrives in the US, at Newport, RI, for a ten month tour.

1846 Battle of Resaca de la Palma in the Mexican War.

1864 The Danish navy defeats the Austrian and Prussian fleets in the Battle of Heligoland.

1868 The city of Reno, Nevada, is founded.

1874 The first horse-drawn bus makes its début in the city of Mumbai.

1887 Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show opens in London.

1901 Australia opens its first parliament in Melbourne.

1911 Mexican Revolutionaries invest Ciudad Juarez.

1915 Second Battle of Artois between German and French forces.

1916 President Woodrow Wilson mobilizes the National Guard of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to patrol their borders with Mexico.

1916 General Julian Hedworth George Byng, Lord Byng of Vimy appointed commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

1920 The Polish army under General Edward Rydz-Śmigły celebrates its capture of Kiev with a victory parade on Khreschatyk.

1921 Sophie Scholl, member of the "White Rose" anti-Nazi, movement, born.

1926 Americans Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett made the first flight over the North Pole. Later archivists determined that Byrd was probably 150 miles short of the pole and that his tri-motor Fokker monoplane named Josephine Ford probably came within 2.25 degrees of the pole.

1927 The Australian Parliament first convenes in Canberra.

1936 Italy formally annexes Ethiopia.

1941 The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy with the latest Enigma cryptography machine.

1942 The SS murder 588 Jewish residents of the Podolian town of Zinkiv. The Zoludek Ghetto is destroyed and all its inhabitants murdered or deported.

1945 Ratification in Berlin-Karlshorst of the German unconditional surrender of May 8 in Rheims, France. Marshal Georgy Zhukov sings for the Soviet Union, Sir Arthur Tedder, British Air Marshal and Eisenhower’s deputy for SHEAF, Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen Stumpff as the representative of the Luftwaffe, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel as the Chief of Staff of OKW, and Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg as Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine. The Channel Islands are liberated by the British after five years of German occupation. U.S. officials announced that the midnight entertainment curfew was being lifted immediately. Herman Goering taken prisoner by the U.S. Seventh Army in Bavaria. Karl Frank, the Nazi administrator in Czechoslovakia surrendered to the U. S. army near Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.

1946 King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicates and is succeeded by Humbert II.

1950 President Truman spoke at the dedication of Kortes Dam in Wyoming.

1950 French minister Schuman offers economic cooperation with Germany in the area of coal and steel.

1955 The Federal Republic of Germany joins NATO.

1972 The US mines North Vietnamese harbors from the air.

1992 Armenian forces capture Shusha.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:
Lieutenant Colonel John Coughlin, 10th New Hampshire Infantry. Place and date: At Swifts Creek, Va., 9 May 1864. Entered service at: Manchester, N.H. Birth: Vermont. Date •S issue: 31 August 1893. Citation: During a sudden night attack upon Burnham's Brigade, resulting in much confusion, this officer, without waiting for orders, led his regiment forward and interposed a line of battle between the advancing enemy and Hunt's Battery, repulsing the attack and saving the guns.

Sergeant Daniel T. Ferrier, Company K, 2d Indiana Cavalry. Place and date: At Varnells Station, Ga., 9 May 1864. Entered service at: Delphi, Ind. Birth:------. Date of issue: 30 March 1898. Citation: While his regiment was retreating, voluntarily gave up his horse to his brigade commander who had been unhorsed and was in danger of capture, thereby enabling him to rejoin and rally the disorganized troops. Sgt. Ferrier himself was captured and confined in Confederate prisons, from which he escaped and, after great hardship, rejoined the Union lines.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

FINLAY David: World War One. Lance-corporal. 2nd Battalion, The Black Watch, British Army. Citation: On 9 May 1915 near Rue du Bois, France, Lance-Corporal Finlay led a bombing party of 12 men in the attack until 10 of them had fallen. He then ordered the two survivors to crawl back and he himself went to the assistance of a wounded man and carried him over a distance of 100 yards of fire-swept ground into cover, quite regardless of his own safety.

RIPLEY John: World War One. Corporal. 1st Battalion, The Black Watch, British Army. Citation: On 9 May 1915 at Rue du Bois, France, Corporal Ripley led his section on the right of the platoon in the assault and was the first man of the battalion to climb the enemy's parapet. From there he directed those following him to the gaps in the German wire entanglements. He then led his section through a breach in the parapet to a second line of trench. With seven or eight men he established himself, blocking other flanks, and continued to hold the position until all his men had fallen and he himself was badly wounded in the head.

SHARPE Charles Richard: World War One. Corporal. 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, British Army. Citation: On 9 May 1915 at Rouges Bancs, France, Corporal Sharpe was in charge of a blocking party sent forward to take a portion of the German trench. He was the first to reach the enemy's position and using bombs with great effect he himself cleared them out of a trench 50 yards long. By this time all his party had fallen and he was then joined by four other men with whom he attacked the enemy with bombs and captured a further trench 250 yards long.

UPTON James: World War One. Corporal. 1st Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters, British Army. Citation: On 9 May 1915 at Rouges Bancs, France, Corporal Upton rescued the wounded while exposed to rifle and artillery fire, going close to the enemy's parapet. One wounded man was killed by a shell while the corporal was carrying him. When not actually carrying the wounded he was engaged in dressing and bandaging the serious cases in front of our parapet.

Last supplemented on May 9, 2012.

[Calendar]

May 10

70 Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, opens a full-scale assault on Jerusalem and attacks the city's Third Wall to the northwest.

1291 Scottish nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England.

1307 Robert the Bruce defeats the Earl of Pembroke at Loudon Hill.

1318 The Irish defeat the English at the Battle of Dyset o'Dea.

1497 Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci left for his first voyage to New World.

1534 Jacques Cartier visits Newfoundland.

1655 England captures Jamaica from Spain, gaining its first colony.

1676 Bacon's Rebellion begins in Virginia.

1774 Louis XVI ascended the throne of France.

May 10

1775 - The men defending the garrison of Ticonderoga were surprised in their beds. Fort Ticonderoga lay on the shores of Lake Champlain. Called Fort Carillon by the French, it was renamed Ticonderoga by the British after it was captured in 1759. The fort was positioned to cut the colonies in half, and two Americans, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, were determined to capture the fort. Allen was approached by Connecticut citizens to lead his men known as the Green Mountain men to take the fort. Meanwhile Benedict Arnold had himself been appointed to the same task by the Massachusetts committee of safety. The two men argued over command, but this did not deter them from attacking the fort. On May 11th, all the men who could fit were loaded in boats and set off for the fort. On arriving, Allen called out to Lieutenant Joceyln Feltham, "Come out of there you dammed old rat!" When Feltham asked on whose authority, Allen stated,"in the name of Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." The fort, with its heavy artillery, fell without a shot being fired. The small British garrison had not heard of the outbreak of war at Lexington and Concord on April 19th. The joint colonial militia force commanded by Allen and Benedict Arnold of Connecticut found more than 40 pieces of artillery inside the fort. These will be moved in a winter convoy to the American siege lines around Boston, compelling the British to evacuate the city.

1796 Bonaparte defeats the Austrians in the Battle of Lodi.

1801 The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States.

1812 US musters and Federalizes the State militias forces to prepare for war against Canada and the United Kingdom.

1857 Sepoys revolt against their commanding officers at Meerut.

Can someone give us the quick and dirty on this action?

I know it was what is otherwise known as the Indian Mutiny, but that's about all I know about it.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rebellion_of_1857:
"The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to present-day Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, northern Madhya Pradesh, and the Delhi region.[3] The rebellion posed a considerable threat to Company power in that region,[4] and it was contained only with the fall of Gwalior on 20 June 1858.[3] The rebellion is also known as the India's First War of Independence, the Great Rebellion, the Indian Mutiny, the Revolt of 1857, the Uprising of 1857, the Sepoy Rebellion, and the Sepoy Mutiny.
Other regions of Company-controlled India – such as Bengal, the Bombay Presidency, and the Madras Presidency – remained largely calm.[3] In Punjab, the Sikh princes backed the Company by providing both soldiers and support.[3] The large princely states of Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, and Kashmir, as well as the smaller ones of Rajputana, did not join the rebellion.[5] In some regions, such as Oudh, the rebellion took on the attributes of a patriotic revolt against European presence.[6] Rebel leaders, such as the Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi, became folk heroes in the nationalist movement in India half a century later;[3] however, they themselves "generated no coherent ideology" for a new order.[7] The rebellion led to the dissolution of the East India Company in 1858. It also led the British to reorganise the army, the financial system and the administration in India.[8] India was thereafter directly governed by the crown as the new British Raj.[5]"

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rebellion_of_1857:
"The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to present-day Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, northern Madhya Pradesh, and the Delhi region.[3] The rebellion posed a considerable threat to Company power in that region,[4] and it was contained only with the fall of Gwalior on 20 June 1858.[3] The rebellion is also known as the India's First War of Independence, the Great Rebellion, the Indian Mutiny, the Revolt of 1857, the Uprising of 1857, the Sepoy Rebellion, and the Sepoy Mutiny.
Other regions of Company-controlled India – such as Bengal, the Bombay Presidency, and the Madras Presidency – remained largely calm.[3] In Punjab, the Sikh princes backed the Company by providing both soldiers and support.[3] The large princely states of Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, and Kashmir, as well as the smaller ones of Rajputana, did not join the rebellion.[5] In some regions, such as Oudh, the rebellion took on the attributes of a patriotic revolt against European presence.[6] Rebel leaders, such as the Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi, became folk heroes in the nationalist movement in India half a century later;[3] however, they themselves "generated no coherent ideology" for a new order.[7] The rebellion led to the dissolution of the East India Company in 1858. It also led the British to reorganise the army, the financial system and the administration in India.[8] India was thereafter directly governed by the crown as the new British Raj.[5]"

So, this is East India Company and not a rebellion against the British Army. I know little about this area except for what I have seen in King of the Khyber Rifles.

Thanks,

I don't know much about it, but I seem to recall that the British Army ended up being deployed to put the rebellion down, and that was basically the end of the East India Company's independent army and, for that matter, the East India Company's role as an administrative entity. Quite a few VC's were awarded during the rebellion.

1863 Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson died of pneumonia a week after losing his arm when his own troops accidentally fired on him during the Battle of Chancellorsville. His last words were: "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees."

1865 Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga.

1868 A Remount arrives at Ft. Leavenworth from St. Louis, where it will be named Comanche. It received the U.S. brand upon its arrival, but it would be soon sold for $90.00 to an officer of the 7th Cavalry, Miles Keogh.

Comanche is repeatedly, if inaccurately, claimed to be the "sole survivor" of the Custer's command at the Little Big Horn, which ignores of course that many of the men in Custer's command served with Reno and Benteen that day, and only the men under his direct field command were killed in the battle. It further ignores that many 7th Cavalry horses were just carted off by the Sioux and Cheyenne who used them, with the presence of many 7th Cavalry horses being noted by the Northwest Mounted Police after the Sioux crossed into Canada. Inquires by the NWMP as to whether the U.S. Army wished for the NWMP to recover the horses were met with a negative reply, although at least one of the horses was purchased by a Mountie and owned privately.



1869 A golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

1877 Romania declares itself independent from the Ottoman Empire.

1890 Laramie Wyoming policemen instructed to stay out of saloons unless specifically called in to act in them.

1893 The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Nix v. Hedden that a tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit, under the Tariff Act of 1883.

1898 The Governor of Wyoming telegraphed the Secretary of War that Wyoming's requested contingent for the Philippines was organized awaiting orders.Attribution: On This Day.

1899 Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Neb.

1908 The first Mother's Day observance took place during church services in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia.

1924 J. Edgar Hoover was appointed director of the FBI.

1933 Paraguay declares war on Bolivia.

1933 Massive public book burnings at Opernplatz in Berlin, Germany.

1936 Spanish Leftists depose Pres Alcala-Zamora, to install Manuel Azaña, setting the country on the path that would lead to civil war.

1940 UK forms the Home Guard.

1940 The Luftwaffe bombs Freiburg, Germany, by mistake. Oops.

1940 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.

1940 Germany invades Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

1940 Occupation of Iceland by the United Kingdom.

1941 Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission.

1954 Bill Haley and His Comets release "Rock Around the Clock".

1956 France sends 50,000 reservists to Algeria.

1960 USS Triton (SSN-586) completes first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.

1968 Paris peace talks begin.

1968 The Battle of Hamburger Hill, Hill 937, commences.

2005 Germany dedicated a national Holocaust memorial.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

Captain Abraham K. Arnold 5th U.S. Cavalry, Place and date: At Davenport Bridge, Va., 10 May 1864. Entered service at: Bedford, Pa. Born: 24 March 1837, Bedford, Pa. Date of issue: 1 September 1893. Citation: By a gallant charge against a superior force of the enemy, extricated his command from a perilous position in which it had been ordered.

Second Lieutenant Thomas W. Custer, Company B, 6th Michigan Cavalry. Place and date: At Namozine Church, Va., 10 May 1863. Entered service at: Monroe, Mich. Birth: New Rumley, Ohio. Date of issue: 3 May 1865. Citation: Capture of flag on 10 May 1863.

This was Lt. Custer's second award. He would, of course, die in Montana in 1876.

Major Byron M. Cucheon, 20th Michigan Infantry. Place and date: At Horseshoe Bend, Ky., 10 May 1863. Entered service at: Ypsilanti, Mich. Born: 11 May 1 836, Pembroke, N.H. Date of issue: 29 June 1891. Citation: Distinguished gallantry in leading his regiment in a charge on a house occupied by the enemy.

Sergeant Moses A. Luce, Company E, 4th Michigan Infantry. Place and date: At Laurel Hill, Va., 10 May 1864. Entered service at: Hillsdale, Mich. Born: 14 May 1842, Payson, Adams County, Ill. Date of issue: 7 February 1895. Citation: Voluntarily returned in the face of the advancing enemy to the assistance of a wounded and helpless comrade, and carried him, at imminent peril, to a place of safety.

Colonel Thomas D. Seaver, 3d Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Spotsylvania Courthouse, Va., 10 May 1864. Entered service at: Pomfret, Vt. Born: 23 December 1833, Davendish, Vt. Date of issue: 8 April 1892. Citation: At the head of 3 regiments and under a most galling fire attacked and occupied the enemy's works.

Seaman Richard Bates, U.S. Navy. Born: 1829, Wales. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 77, 1 August 1866. Citation: For heroic conduct in rescuing from drowning James Rose and John Russell, seamen of the U.S.S. Winooski, off Eastport, Maine, 10 May 1866.

Captain of the Afterguard John Brown, U.S. Navy. Born: 1838, Denmark. Accredited to: Maryland. G.O. No.: 77, 1 August 1866. Citation: For heroic conduct with 2 comrades, in rescuing from drowning James Rose and John Russell, seamen, of the U.S.S. Winooski, off Eastport, Maine, 10 May 1866.
Seaman Thomas Burke, U.S. Navy. Born: 1833, Ireland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 77, 1 August 1866. Citation: For heroic conduct, with 2 comrades, in rescuing from drowning James Rose and John Russell, seamen, of the U.S.S. Winooski, off Eastport, Maine, 10 May 1866.

Pharmacist's Mate Second Class William David Halyburton, Jr, U.S. Naval Reserve. Born: 2 August 1924, Canton, N.C. Accredited to: North Carolina. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with a Marine Rifle Company in the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Chain, 10 May 1945. Undaunted by the deadly accuracy of Japanese counterfire as his unit pushed the attack through a strategically important draw, Halyburton unhesitatingly dashed across the draw and up the hill into an open fire-swept field where the company advance squad was suddenly pinned down under a terrific concentration of mortar, machinegun and sniper fire with resultant severe casualties. Moving steadily forward despite the enemy's merciless barrage, he reached the wounded marine who lay farthest away and was rendering first aid when his patient was struck for the second time by a Japanese bullet. Instantly placing himself in the direct line of fire, he shielded the fallen fighter with his own body and staunchly continued his ministrations although constantly menaced by the slashing fury of shrapnel and bullets falling on all sides. Alert, determined and completely unselfish in his concern for the helpless marine, he persevered in his efforts until he himself sustained mortal wounds and collapsed, heroically sacrificing himself that his comrade might live. By his outstanding valor and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of tremendous odds, Halyburton sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

BOURKE Roland Richard Louis: World War One. Lieutenant. Royal Naval Volunteer ReserveCitation: On 9 and 10 May 1918 at Ostend, Belgium, after HMS Vindictive's crew had been taken off, Lieutenant Bourke, commanding Motor Launch 276, went into the harbour to check that everybody had got away. After searching and finding no one, he withdrew, but hearing cries from the water he turned back, found an officer and two seamen clinging to an up-turned boat, and rescued them. During this time the motor launch was under very heavy fire and was hit 55 times, once by a 6-inch shell which killed two of her crew and did considerable damage. Lieutenant Bourke, however, managed to take her into the open sea, and was taken in tow.

CRUTCHLEY Victor Alexander Charles: World War One. Lieutenant, Royal Navy. Citation: Heroism in Ostend raid. 9-10 May, 1918.

DRUMMOND Geoffrey Heneage: World War One. Lieutenant. Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Citation: On 9/10 May 1918 at Ostend, Belgium, Lieutenant Drummond commanding HMML (Motor Launch) 254, volunteered for rescue work and was following HMS Vindictive to the harbour when a shell burst on board killing an officer and a deck hand and badly wounding the coxswain and Lieutenant Drummond. Notwithstanding his wounds, this officer brought M.L. 254 alongside Vindictive and then took off two officers and 38 men, some of whom were killed or wounded while embarking. He retained consciousness long enough to back his vessel away from the piers and towards the open sea before collapsing exhausted from his wounds.

Last supplemented on May 10, 2013.

[selewis]

May 11, 1910 b. horseman Tom Dorrance, near Joseph, Oregon.

[Calendar]

May 11

330 Constantine founds Constantinople.

878 Battle of Ethandun in which King Alfred of Wessex defeats the Danes.

1502 Columbus embarked on his fourth journey.

1690 British troops from Massachusetts seized Port Royal in Acadia (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) from the French.

1720 Karl Friedrich Heironymus Freiherr von Munchhausen born.

1821 Charles John Stolbrand, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1830 John Converse Starkweather, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1846 Congress declares war on Mexico.

1857 Delhi falls to the mutinous Sepoys.

1858 Minnesota enters the Union.

1862 CSS 'Virginia/Merrimac' is scuttled in the James River.

1864 Skirmish at Yellow Tavern at which cavalryman J.E.B. Stuart is mortally wounded by a dismounted Union cavalryman.

1865 Col Thomas Moonlight's expedition of the recently arrived 11th Kansas Cavalry reaches the Wind River in Wyoming, but fails to encounter the Cheyenne who were raiding west of Ft. Laramie that he was searching for.

1866 Jefferson Davis released from prison.

1870 Canada purchased most of Prince Rupert's Land from the Hudsons Bay Company.

1881 Attempted assassination of Russian Crown Prince Nicholas in Otsu, Japan, by a Japanese police officer.

1885 Metis under Louis Riel defeated by the militia at Batoche, Saskatchewan.

May 11

Here is a story that happened this day that I'll bet no one has read.

1889 Major Joseph Wham and group of soldiers, carrying a military payroll of $29,000, were attacked by a dozen outlaws near Fort Thomas, Arizona Territory. After wounding more then half the soldiers and driving off the rest, the outlaws simply walked away with the entire payroll. A posse of lawmen rounded up various suspects who were later charged with the sensational robbery. Most of these suspects were Mormons with political connections and the accused men were defended by the famed lawyer Marcus Aurelius Smith. Major Wham and his men were unable to identify any of the dozen defendants in court and they were all acquitted. It was widely claimed that political pressure from the acting governor allowed the thieves to go free. In 1889, black infantrymen of the 24th and cavalrymen of the 10th serving with a detachment escorting Major Joseph W. Wham, paymaster, U.S. Army, in an encounter with a band of robbers, by whom the party was attacked between Forts Grant and Thomas, Arizona. In reporting the robbery to the Secretary of War, Major Wham described how his "party was ambushed and fired into by a number of armed brigands, since estimated by U.S. Marshal [W.K.] Meade at from twelve to fifteen, but to myself and entire escort, two non-commissioned officers and nine privates, at fifteen to twenty." The major stated that a large boulder weighing several tons had been rolled onto the road by the robbers to block the progress of his small convoy and that as his escort was making ready to remove it "a signal shot was fired from the ledge of rocks about fifty feet above to the right, which was instantly followed by a volley, believed by myself and the entire party to be fifteen or twenty shots." The officer reported that a sharp, short fight of more than 30 minutes followed, during which time 10 members of his escort, "eight of whom were wounded, two being shot twice, behaved in the most courageous and heroic manner." Although Wham, his clerk, and the soldiers were ultimately forced to withdraw and the robbers succeeded in obtaining the payroll amounting to $28,345.10 Marshal Meade swore, after conducting an extensive investigation, that "I am satisfied a braver or better defense could not have been made under like circumstances, and to remained longer would have proven a useless sacrifice of life without a vestige of hope to succeed." The Committee on Military Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, after examining the evidence, stated that "the fact that the President ... has seen fit to award certificates of merit and medals of honor to the members of Major Wham's escort . . . is the highest evidence of the fact that they displayed unusual courage and skill in defense of the Government's property." Moreover, the committee concluded, "all the evidence . . . shows conclusively that all was done by Major Wham and his brave little escort that men could do to project the Government's property, and continued to fight until the heaviest casualty list ever here fore authentically reported sustained." Two soldiers of the 10th Cavalry and five soldiers of the 24th Infantry were awarded with the Certificates of Merit

1888 Irving Berlin, WWI soldier, composer, born.

1898 USN cable cutting raid at Cienfuegos, Cuba and USN landing party raids Cardenas, Cuba.

1911 Mexican revolutionaries take Ciudad Juarez.

1916 Einstein's Theory of General Relativity presented.

1920 The 16th Marine Regiment organized at Philadelphia.

1920 The Wyoming National Guard was reconstituted as the First Regiment, Wyoming Cavalry.

1942 U. S. Air Medal introduced.

1943 RMS 'Queen Mary' arrives at New York with Winston Churchill and the British Chiefs of Staff, en route to Washington, plus 5,000 Afrika Korps veterans, and the 300 troops guarding them, en route to POW camps. US 7th Infantry Division lands on Attu.Hermann Goering division in Tunisia surrendered.

1945 Australian troops land near Wewak New Guinea. Helga, Hilde, Helmut, Holde, Hedwig, and Heidrun Goebbels, murdered by their parents, Joseph and Magda Goebbels who then committed suicide. USS Vance and USS Durant took the German submarine U-873 as a prize. Soviet 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts eliminate most of the German resistance in Czechoslovakia and make contact with American forces at Pilsen.

1960 Israeli agents capture Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires.

1961 President Kennedy approves sending 400 Special Forces troops and 100 other U.S. military advisers to South Vietnam.

1962 US sent troops to Thailand.

1965 U.S. destroyers make the first shore bombardment of Vietnam War.

1967 The siege of Khe Sanh ends.

1973 Charges against Daniel Ellsberg for his role in the Pentagon Papers dismissed.

1975 Cambodians seize the American merchant ship Mayaguez.

1989 President Bush ordered invasion of Panama.

1991 President Bush dispatched an amphibious task to help cyclone-ravaged Bangladesh.

2004 The Bush administration ordered economic sanctions against Syria for supporting terrorism.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day.

Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

RUTHERFORD, JOHN T.:Civil War. First Lieutenant, Company L, 9th New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Yellow Tavern, Va., 11 May 1864; At Hanovertown, Va., 27 May 1864. Citation: Made a successful charge at Yellow Tavern, Va., 11 May 1864, by which 90 prisoners were captured. On 27 May 1864, in a gallant dash on a superior force of the enemy and in a personal encounter, captured his opponent.

TREAT, HOWELL B. Civil War.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company I, 52d Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Buzzard's Roost, Ga., 11 May 1864. Citation: Risked his life in saving a wounded comrade.

YEAGER, JACOB F.: Civil War. Private, Company H, 101st Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Buzzard's Roost, Ga., 11 May 1864. Citation: Seized a shell with fuze burning that had fallen in the ranks of his company and threw it into a stream, thereby probably saving his comrades from injury.

BROWN, BENJAMIN: Peacetime award. : Sergeant, Company C, 24th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: Arizona, 11 May 1889. Citation: Although shot in the abdomen, in a fight between a paymaster's escort and robbers, did not leave the field until again wounded through both arms.

MAYS, ISAIAH: Peacetime award. : Corporal, Company B, 24th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: Arizona, 11 May 1889. Citation: Gallantry in the fight between Paymaster Wham's escort and robbers. Mays walked and crawled 2 miles to a ranch for help.

FOWLER, CHRISTOPHER: Peacetime award. Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Fortune off Point Zapotitlan, Mexico, 11 May 1874. On the occasion of the capsizing of one of the boats of the Fortune and the drowning of a portion of the boat's crew, Fowler displayed gallant conduct.

BAKER, BENJAMIN F.: Spanish American War.. Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Nashville during the cutting of the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Baker set an example of extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action .

And other awards for the cable cutting at Cienfuegos:

BARROW, DAVID D.

BENNETT, JAMES H.

BEYER, ALBERT

BLUME, ROBERT

BRADY, GEORGE F.

BRIGHT, GEORGE WASHINGTON

CAMPBELL, DANIEL

CARTER, JOSEPH E.

CHADWICK, LEONARD

COONEY, THOMAS C.

DAVIS, JOHN

DORAN, JOHN J.

DURNEY, AUSTIN J.

EGLIT, JOHN

ERICKSON, NICK

FIELD, OSCAR WADSWORTH

FOSS, HERBERT LOUIS

FRANKLIN, JOSEPH JOHN

GAUGHAN, PHILIP

GIBBONS, MICHAEL

GILL, FREEMAN

HART, WILLIAM

HENDRICKSON, HENRY

HILL, FRANK

HOBAN, THOMAS

JOHANSON, JOHN P.

JOHANSSON, JOHAN J.

JOHNSEN, HANS

KEARNEY, MICHAEL

KRAMER, FRANZ

KRAUSE, ERNEST

KUCHNEISTER, HERMANN WILLIAM

LEVERY, WILLIAM

MAGER, GEORGE FREDERICK

MAXWELL, JOHN

MEREDITH, JAMES

MEYER, WILLIAM

MILLER, HARRY HERBERT

MILLER, WILLARD

NELSON, LAURITZ

OAKLEY, WILLIAM

OLSEN, ANTON

PARKER, POMEROY

RILLEY, JOHN PHILLIP

RUSSELL, HENRY P.

SCOTT, JOSEPH FRANCIS

SULLIVAN, EDWARD

SUNDQUIST, GUSTAV A.

VADAS, ALBERT

VAN ETTEN, HUDSON

VOLZ, ROBERT

WEST, WALTER SCOTT

WILKE, JULIUS A. R.

WILLIAMS, FRANK

McKlNNEY, JOHN R.: World War Two. Private, U.S. Army, Company A, 123d Infantry, 33d Infantry Division. Place and date: Tayabas Province, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 11 May 1945. Citation: He fought with extreme gallantry to defend the outpost which had been established near Dingalan Bay. Just before daybreak approximately 100 Japanese stealthily attacked the perimeter defense, concentrating on a light machinegun position manned by 3 Americans. Having completed a long tour of duty at this gun, Pvt. McKinney was resting a few paces away when an enemy soldier dealt him a glancing blow on the head with a saber. Although dazed by the stroke, he seized his rifle, bludgeoned his attacker, and then shot another assailant who was charging him. Meanwhile, 1 of his comrades at the machinegun had been wounded and his other companion withdrew carrying the injured man to safety. Alone, Pvt. McKinney was confronted by 10 infantrymen who had captured the machinegun with the evident intent of reversing it to fire into the perimeter. Leaping into the emplacement, he shot 7 of them at pointblank range and killed 3 more with his rifle butt. In the melee the machinegun was rendered inoperative, leaving him only his rifle with which to meet the advancing Japanese, who hurled grenades and directed knee mortar shells into the perimeter. He warily changed position, secured more ammunition, and reloading repeatedly, cut down waves of the fanatical enemy with devastating fire or clubbed them to death in hand-to-hand combat. When assistance arrived, he had thwarted the assault and was in complete control of the area. Thirty-eight dead Japanese around the machinegun and 2 more at the side of a mortar 45 yards distant was the amazing toll he had exacted single-handedly. By his indomitable spirit, extraordinary fighting ability, and unwavering courage in the face of tremendous odds, Pvt. McKinley saved his company from possible annihilation and set an example of unsurpassed intrepidity.

TERRY, SEYMOUR W.: World War Two. Posthumous award. : Captain, U.S. Army, Company B, 382d Infantry, 96th Infantry Division. Place and date: Zebra Hill, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 11 May 1945. Citation: 1st Lt. Terry was leading an attack against heavily defended Zebra Hill when devastating fire from 5 pillboxes halted the advance. He braved the hail of bullets to secure satchel charges and white phosphorus grenades, and then ran 30 yards directly at the enemy with an ignited charge to the first stronghold, demolished it, and moved on to the other pillboxes, bombarding them with his grenades and calmly cutting down their defenders with rifle fire as they attempted to escape. When he had finished this job by sealing the 4 pillboxes with explosives, he had killed 20 Japanese and destroyed 3 machineguns. The advance was again held up by an intense grenade barrage which inflicted several casualties. Locating the source of enemy fire in trenches on the reverse slope of the hill, 1st Lt. Terry, burdened by 6 satchel charges launched a l-man assault. He wrecked the enemy's defenses by throwing explosives into their positions and himself accounted for 10 of the 20 hostile troops killed when his men overran the area. Pressing forward again toward a nearby ridge, his 2 assault platoons were stopped by slashing machinegun and mortar fire. He fearlessly ran across 100 yards of fire-swept terrain to join the support platoon and urge it on in a flanking maneuver. This thrust, too, was halted by stubborn resistance. 1st Lt. Terry began another 1 -man drive, hurling grenades upon the strongly entrenched defenders until they fled in confusion, leaving 5 dead behind them. Inspired by this bold action, the support platoon charged the retreating enemy and annihilated them. Soon afterward, while organizing his company to repulse a possible counterattack, the gallant company commander was mortally wounded by the burst of an enemy mortar shell. By his indomitable fighting spirit, brilliant leadership, and unwavering courage in the face of tremendous odds, 1st Lt. Terry made possible the accomplishment of his unit's mission and set an example of heroism in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.

WAUGH, ROBERT T.: World War Two. Posthumous award. First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 339th Infantry, 85th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Tremensucli, Italy, 11-14 May 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy. In the course of an attack upon an enemy-held hill on 11 May, 1st Lt. Waugh personally reconnoitered a heavily mined area before entering it with his platoon. Directing his men to deliver fire on 6 bunkers guarding this hill, 1st Lt. Waugh advanced alone against them, reached the first bunker, threw phosphorus grenades into it and as the defenders emerged, killed them with a burst from his tommygun. He repeated this process on the 5 remaining bunkers, killing or capturing the occupants. On the morning of 14 May, 1st Lt. Waugh ordered his platoon to lay a base of fire on 2 enemy pillboxes located on a knoll which commanded the only trail up the hill. He then ran to the first pillbox, threw several grenades into it, drove the defenders into the open, and killed them. The second pillbox was next taken by this intrepid officer by similar methods. The fearless actions of 1st Lt. Waugh broke the Gustav Line at that point, neutralizing 6 bunkers and 2 pillboxes and he was personally responsible for the death of 30 of the enemy and the capture of 25 others. He was later killed in action in Itri, Italy, while leading his platoon in an attack.

Last supplemented on May 11, 2013.

[Calendar]

May 12

1729 Michael von Melas, Austrian field marshal, born.

1780 Charleston, SC, falls to the British.

1789 The Society of St. Tammany was formed by Revolutionary War soldiers.

1797 George Washington addressed the Delaware chiefs and stated: “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and to humbly implore his protection and favor.”

1806 Amos Beebe Eaton, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1812 Louis Blenker, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1820 Florence Nightingale born in Florence, Italy.

1858 Texas Rangers and Tonkawa Indians attack Comanche chief Iron Shirt's camp. Iron Shirt is killed in the action.

1862 Union occupied Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

May 12

No less than 36 medals of honor were awarded this day at the battle of Spotsylvania, VA. It is said that the bodies were piled 5 deep at the infamous " bloody angle".

One officer said, "I never expect to be fully believed when I tell of the horrors I witnessed at Spotsylvania".

1864 Battle of Todd's Tavern, Virginia.

1865 The last land battle of the Civil War occurs at Palmito Ranch, Texas.

1865 Col Thomas Moonlight's expedition of the recently arrived 11th Kansas Cavalry reaches the Wind River in Wyoming, but fails to encounter the Cheyenne who were raiding west of Ft. Laramie that he was searching for.

1865 Last land action of the Civil War fought at Palmito Ranch in Texas.

1870 Manitoba becomes a Canadian province.

1905 Hiram Cronk, last known surviving War of 1812 veteran, died at age 105.

1935 Marshal Joseph Pilsudski, founder of modern Poland, died at age 67.

1945 US 7th Army capture the Japanese ambassador to Germany, General Oshima, and 130 members of his staff. Lend-Lease shipments to the USSR suspended.

1949 Soviets end blockade of Berlin.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

For action at Spotsylvania, Virginia:

ALBER, FREDERICK

AMMERMAN, ROBERT W.

BARKER, NATHANIEL C.

BEECH, JOHN P.

BISHOP, FRANCIS A.

BURK, E. MICHAEL

CLARKE, DAYTON P.

CLAUSEN, CHARLES H.

FALL, CHARLES S.

FASNACHT, CHARLES H.

FREEMAN, ARCHIBALD

HARRIS, GEORGE W.

JONES, WILLIAM

KINDIG, JOHN M.

MARSH, ALBERT

McANALLY, CHARLES

McFALL, DANIEL

McHALE, ALEXANDER U.

MITCHELL, ALEXANDER H.

MORGAN, LEWIS

MORSE, BENJAMIN

NOLL, CONRAD

NOYES, WILLIAM W.

ROBBINS, AUGUSTUS I.

ROBINSON, THOMAS

ROSSBACH, VALENTINE

ROUNDS, LEWIS A.

RUSSELL, CHARLES L.

SCHLACHTER, PHILIPP

THOMPSON, CHARLES A..

TRACY, CHARLES H.

WEEKS, JOHN H.

WESTERHOLD, WILLIAM

WILCOX, WILLIAM H.

WILSON, CHRISTOPHER W.

WISNER, LEWIS S.

LOHNES, FRANCIS W. Indian Wars. Private, Company H, 1st Nebraska Veteran Cavalry. Place and date: At Gilmans Ranch, Nebr., 12 May 1865. Citation: Gallantry in defending Government property against Indians.

SHEA, CHARLES W.: World War Two. Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company F, 350th Infantry. 88th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Mount Damiano, Italy, 12 May 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, on 12 May 1944, near Mount Damiano, Italy. As 2d Lt. Shea and his company were advancing toward a hill occupied by the enemy, 3 enemy machineguns suddenly opened fire, inflicting heavy casualties upon the company and halting its advance. 2d Lt. Shea immediately moved forward to eliminate these machinegun nests in order to enable his company to continue its attack. The deadly hail of machinegun fire at first pinned him down, but, boldly continuing his advance, 2d Lt. Shea crept up to the first nest. Throwing several hand grenades, he forced the 4 enemy soldiers manning this position to surrender, and disarming them, he sent them to the rear. He then crawled to the second machinegun position, and after a short fire fight forced 2 more German soldiers to surrender. At this time, the third machinegun fired at him, and while deadly small arms fire pitted the earth around him, 2d Lt. Shea crawled toward the nest. Suddenly he stood up and rushed the emplacement and with well-directed fire from his rifle, he killed all 3 of the enemy machine gunners. 2d Lt. Shea's display of personal valor was an inspiration to the officers and men of his company.

JACKSON, JOE M. Vietnam War. : Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, 311th Air Commando Squadron, Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Kham Duc, Republic of Vietnam, 12 May 1968. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Lt. Col. Jackson distinguished himself as pilot of a C-123 aircraft. Lt. Col. Jackson volunteered to attempt the rescue of a 3-man USAF Combat Control Team from the special forces camp at Kham Duc. Hostile forces had overrun the forward outpost and established gun positions on the airstrip. They were raking the camp with small arms, mortars, light and heavy automatic weapons, and recoilless rifle fire. The camp was engulfed in flames and ammunition dumps were continuously exploding and littering the runway with debris. In addition, 8 aircraft had been destroyed by the intense enemy fire and 1 aircraft remained on the runway reducing its usable length to only 2,200 feet. To further complicate the landing, the weather was deteriorating rapidly, thereby permitting only 1 air strike prior to his landing. Although fully aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt, Lt. Col. Jackson elected to land his aircraft and attempt to rescue. Displaying superb airmanship and extraordinary heroism, he landed his aircraft near the point where the combat control team was reported to be hiding. While on the ground, his aircraft was the target of intense hostile fire. A rocket landed in front of the nose of the aircraft but failed to explode. Once the combat control team was aboard, Lt. Col. Jackson succeeded in getting airborne despite the hostile fire directed across the runway in front of his aircraft. Lt. Col. Jackson's profound concern for his fellowmen, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself, and the Armed Forces of his country.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

World War One.

DRESSER Tom: Private. 7th Battalion. The Yorkshire Regiment. British Army. Citation: On 12 May 1917 near Roeux, France, Private Dresser, in spite of having been twice wounded on the way and suffering great pain, succeeded in conveying an important message from battalion headquarters to the front line trenches, which he eventually reached in an exhausted condition. His fearlessness and determination to deliver this message at all costs proved of the greatest value to his battalion at a critical period.

MOON Rupert Vance: Lieutenant. 58th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force Citation: On 12 May 1917 near Bullecourt, France, Lieutenant Moon's immediate objective was a position in advance of a hostile trench, and then against the trench itself, after the capture of which it was intended that his men should co-operate in a further assault. Although wounded in the initial advance, he reached the first objective, but was again wounded in the assault on the trench. He nevertheless continued to inspire and encourage his men and captured the trench, but was again wounded when consolidating the position. It was not until he was severely wounded for a fourth time that he agreed to retire from the fight.


World War Two.

GARLAND Donald Edward,: Flying Officer. Royal Air Force. Posthumous award. 12 May 1940. Citation: Flying Officer Garland was the pilot and Sergeant Gray was the observer of the leading aircraft of a formation of five aircraft that attacked a bridge over the Albert Canal which had not been destroyed and was allowing the enemy to advance into Belgium. All the aircrews of the squadron concerned volunteered for the operation, and, after five crews had been selected by drawing lots, the attack was delivered at low altitude against this vital target. Orders were issued that this bridge was to be destroyed at all costs. As had been expected, exceptionally intense machine-gun and anti-aircraft fire were encountered. Moreover, the bridge area was heavily protected by enemy fighters. In spite of this, the formation successfully delivered a dive-bombing attack from the lowest practicable altitude. British fighters in the vicinity reported that the target was obscured by the bombs bursting on it and near it. Only one of the five aircraft concerned returned from this mission. The pilot of this aircraft reports that besides being subjected to extremely heavy anti-aircraft fire, through which they dived to attack the objective, our aircraft were also attacked by a large number of enemy fighters after they had released their bombs on the target. Much of the success of this vital operation must be attributed to the formation leader, Flying Officer Garland, and to the coolness and resource of Sergeant Gray, who in most difficult conditions navigated Flying Officer Garland's aircraft in such a manner that the whole formation was able successfully to attack the target in spite of subsequent heavy losses. Flying Officer Garland and Sergeant Gray did not return.

GRAY Thomas: Sergeant. Royal Air Force. Posthumous award. Citation: See above.

KAMAL RAM: Sepoy. 3rd Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment, British Indian Army. Citation: In Italy, on 12 May 1944, after crossing the River Gari overnight, the Company advance was held up by heavy machine-gun fire from four posts on the front and flanks. As the capture of the position was essential to secure the bridgehead, the Company Commander called for a volunteer to get round the rear of the right post and silence it. Volunteering at once and crawling forward through the wire to a flank, Sepoy Kamal Ram attacked the post single handed and shot the first machine-gunner; a second German tried, to seize his weapon but Sepoy Kamal Ram killed him with the bayonet, and then shot a German officer who, appearing from the trench with his pistol, was about to fire. Sepoy Kamal Ram, still alone, at once went on to attack the second machine-gun post which was continuing to hold up the advance, and after shooting one machine-gunner, he threw a grenade and the remaining enemy surrendered. Seeing a Havildar making a reconnaissance for an attack on the third post, Sepoy Kamal Ram joined him, and, having first covered his companion, went in and completed the destruction of this post. By his courage, initiative and disregard for personal risk, Sepoy Kamal Ram enabled his Company to charge and secure the ground vital to the establishment of the bridgehead and the completion of work on two bridges. When a platoon, pushed further forward to widen the position, was fired on from a house, Sepoy Kamal Ram, dashing towards the house, shot one German in a slit trench and captured two more. His sustained and outstanding bravery unquestionably saved a difficult situation at a critical period of the battle and enabled his Battalion to attain the essential part of their objective.

MACKEY John Bernard: Corporal. 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion. Australian Army. Posthumous award. Citation: On 12 May 1945 at Tarakan Island, off North Borneo, Corporal Mackey led his men along a very narrow spur trail where it was almost impossible to move to a flank. His section came under fire from three well-sited Japanese Army positions, but Corporal Mackey went ahead, charging his first position, wrestling with and killing one of the enemy, and he then rushed a heavy machine-gun post, killing its crew. He again attacked a third enemy position further along the spur, and he was killed, but not before he had slain two more of the Japanese.[

Last supplemented on May 12, 2013.

[selewis]

May 12 1812 b. landscape/wildlife artist and runcible poet Edward Lear

[Calendar]

May 13

1568 Mary, Queen of Scot's, forces defeated by the forces of her son's regent, James Stewart, at the Battle of Langside when a cavalry charge routed Mary's troops. The battle was fought in the suburbs of Glasgow.

Mary seems to have had no luck at all.

That's a fact.

1607 Colony established at Jamestown in present-day Virginia.

1801 Tripoli declares war against the United States

1836 U.S. Exploring Expedition authorized to conduct exploration of Pacific Ocean and South Seas.

1846 The United States declared that a state of war with Mexico.

1861 Union troops occupy Baltimore

1865 The last battle of the Civil War fought near the Rio Grande River ends in a Confederate victory. The Confederate armies had not yet learned of the surrender in the East, and would surrendered thereafter on June 2. The last soldier to die in action was a Sgt. Crocker, a black Union soldier.

1882 The Ft. Steele hospital burned.

1914 Joe Louis was born in Lafayette, Ala.

1919 Movie star and recent veteran of the U.S. Army (artillery officer in WWI), Tim McCoy becomes the Adjutant General for the Wyoming National Guard. In that capacity, he receives a brevet rank of Brigadier General at age 28. He retained that position until 1921 when, I believe, it reverted to extraordinarily long serving Gen. Esmay, who had held it prior to WWI, with some interruption.

McCoy was also ranching in Wyoming during this time frame. He ran for the US Senate in Wyoming in 1942 but lost, rejoining the Army as an officer the day after his defeat. He served in the Army Air Corps in Europe during WWII and reportedly never returned to Wyoming after the war.

Evincing a surprising lack of sentiment about horses for a film star of this early era, McCoy is know to have remarked that he was not sentimental about horses, and that "If you want to know the truth - horses are dumb."

1928 - Marines participated in the Battle of Coco River in Nicaragua. A Marine-Guardia patrol under Captain Robert S. Hunter collided with an aggressive band of rebels. Apparently neither side was expecting an encounter. While pushing through a ravine, Captain Hunter's point met a part of the enemy advance guard. Once this small group had been driven off, the Marines again pushed forward; but the rebels had gained time to deploy along the trail. The enemy opened fire with everything he had. Captain Hunter was seriously wounded, and command devolved upon 2d Lieutenant Earl S. Piper. The attackers pulled back before sunset, which enabled the young lieutenant to establish a perimeter defense. After dawn of 14 May, Lieutenant Piper sent a patrol to reconnoiter the positions which the enemy had abandoned. When it encountered no resistance, he concluded correctly that the rebels had divided their force to block the trail in either direction from his defensive perimeter. Concern for his wounded left him no alternative but to try to break through to the south toward La Flor and Quilali. Piper's route of withdrawal carried him between two hills, Cinco and Ocho; and here the enemy lay in wait. Forty-five minutes of bitter fighting followed. The patrol reached La Flor coffee plantation on 15 May, and established a strong defensive position. All in all, Piper's men had come through their ordeal in excellent condition. As soon as reinforcements arrived, they would be able to move northward once more; but help was slow in coming. Not until 22 May did a column commanded by Major K. M. Rockey arrive at the plantation.

1940 Winston Churchill told the British House of Commons in his first speech as prime minister, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

1942 A helicopter made the first US cross-country flight for that type of aircraft.

1975 Marines recapture the Cambodian seized Mayaguez and go ashore on Koh Tang Island and release the crew.

1981 Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali Agca.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

Corporal Frank L. Anderse. U.S. Army, Company B, 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry. San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 May 1899.

Captain William E. Birkhimer, 3d U.S. Artillery. San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 May 1899.

Private Willis H. Downs, Company H, 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry. San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 May 1899.

Private Jensen Gotfred, Company D, 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry. San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 May 1899.

Private Edward E. Lyon, Company B, 2d Oregon Volunteer Infantry. San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 May 1899.

QUINN, PETER H.
Rank and organization: Private, Company L, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 May 1899. Entered service at: San Francisco, Calif. Birth: San Francisco, Calif. Date of issue: 6 June 1906. Citation: With 11 other scouts without waiting for the supporting battalion to aid them or to get into a position to do so, charged over a distance of about 150 yards and completely routed about 300 of the enemy who were in line and in a position that could only be carried by a frontal attack.

Chief Machinist's Mate William Badders, U.S. Navy. Place and date: At sea following sinking of the U.S.S. Squalus, 13 May 1939.

Chief Boatswain's Mate Orson L. Crandall, U.S. Navy. Place and date: At sea following sinking of U.S.S. Squalus, 13 May 1939.

Major Kern W. Dunagan, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, Americal Division. Quang Tin Province, Republic of Vietnam, 13 May 1969.

Specialist Fourth Class Kenneth L. Olson, U.S. Army, Company A, 5th Battalion, 12th Infantry, 199th Infantry Brigade (Separate) (Light). Republic of Vietnam, 13 May 1968.

Private First Class David F. Winder, U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 1st Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. Republic of Vietnam, 13 May 1970.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

World War One.

BELCHER Douglas Walter: Lance-sergeant. 1/5th Battalion, London Regiment, British Army. Citation: On 13 May 1915, south of the Wieltje-St. Julien Road, Belgium, Belcher was in charge of a portion of an advanced breastwork during continuous bombardment by the enemy. With very few men, Belcher elected to remain and try to hold his position after the troops near him had been withdrawn, and with great skill he succeeded in his objective, opening rapid fire on the enemy, who were only 150-200 yards away, whenever he saw them collecting for an attack. This bold action prevented the enemy breaking through and averted an attack on the flank of one of our divisions.

World War Two.

WAKEFORD Richard: Captain. 2/4th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment. British Army. Citation: On 13 May 1944 near Cassino, Italy, Captain Wakeford, accompanied only by his orderly and armed only with a revolver, went forward and killed a number of the Nazi 1st Parachute Division and took 20 prisoners. When attacking a hill feature the following day his company came under heavy fire, but although wounded in the face and both arms, Captain Wakeford pressed home the attack. He was wounded again, but reached the objective and consolidated the position.

LACHHIMAN GURUNG 89th Indian Infantry Brigade. 7th Indian Infantry Division. Citation: On 12/13 May 1945 at Taungdaw, Burma [now Myanmar], Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung was manning the most forward post of his platoon which bore the brunt of an attack by at least 200 of the Japanese enemy. Twice he hurled back grenades which had fallen on his trench, but the third exploded in his right hand, blowing off his fingers, shattering his arm and severely wounding him in the face, body and right leg. His two comrades were also badly wounded but the rifleman, now alone and disregarding his wounds, loaded and fired his rifle with his left hand for four hours, calmly waiting for each attack which he met with fire at point blank range. Afterwards, when the casualties were counted, it is reported that there were 31 dead Japanese around his position which he had killed, with only one arm.

Last supplemented on May 13, 2013.

[Couvi]

1858 Texas Rangers and Tonkawa Indians attack Comanche chief Iron Shirt's camp. Iron Shirt is killed in the action.

There was a great deal of animoisity between the Apaches and Comanches and the Tonkawa. Purportedly the reason for this animosity is that the Tonkawas ate both.

[Couvi]

May 13

Captain William E. Birkhimer, 3d U.S. Artillery. San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 May 1899. Last supplemented on May 13, 2013.

Birkhimer also wrote the definitive work, Historical Sketch of the Artillery, United States Army in 1884. It is still a very relevant work on the subject. It contains numerous references, scattered throughout the book, to horses being used to transport artillery. http://archive.org/stream/historicalske ... 4/mode/2up

[Calendar]

May 14

1653 The Massachusetts Council declares that one eighth of each militia company be available to march on one day's warning.

1781 Major-General Abram Petrovich Gannibal, African slave who became a general under Peter the Great, great-great-grandfather of Alexander Pushkin, died at age 86.

1787 - Delegates began gathering in Philadelphia for a convention to draw up the U.S. Constitution.

Also for May 14: 1796, Edward Jenner hits upon the principle of vaccination by artificial inoculation. "A boy of the name of Phipps was inoculated in the arm, from a pustule on the hand of a young woman, who was infected by her maser's cows. Having never seen the disease but in its casual way before, that is, when communicated from the cow to the hand of the milker, I was astonished at the close resemblance of the pustules, in some of their stages, to the variolous pustules. But now listen to the most wonderful part of my story. The boy has since been inoculated for the small-pox, which, as I ventured to predict, produced no effect."

At once, the practice is vehemently attacked by the clergy and ridiculed and denounced as dangerous quackery by the medical establishment; thus disproving the notion that science and religion are perpetually at odds with each another.

1804 - One year after the United States doubled its territory with the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition leaves St. Louis, Missouri, on a mission to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.

1812 The Ordnance Department was established by act of Congress.

1830 George Pierce Doles, Brig Gen, C.S.A., born.

1836 James Patrick Major, Brig Gen, C.S.A., born.

1836 Treaties of Velasco executed by General Antonio López de Santa Anna and Texas provisional president David Burnett recognizing the independence of Texas. It did not fix the boundaries of Texas and Mexico refused to recognize the treaty.

1836 U.S. Exploring Expedition authorized to conduct exploration of Pacific Ocean and South Seas.

1845 First U.S. warship, USS Constitution, visits Vietnam and engages in a show of force against Vietnamese authorities in an effort to obtain the release of a French priest held prisoner by Emperor of Annam at Hue.

1906 Carl Schurz, German revolutionary, Maj. Gen., U.S., died at age 77.

1908 - 1st passenger flight in an airplane.

1940 Emma Goldman, anarchist who warned of the real nature of the "Bolshevik Revolution" died at age 83.

1942 The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps established.

1955 Warsaw Pact formed.

1968 Husband E. Kimmel, died at age 86.

1975 U.S. forces raided the Cambodian island of Koh Tang and recaptured the American merchant ship Mayaguez. All 40 crew members were released by Cambodia, but 40 U.S. servicemen were killed in the military operation.

1998 Frank Sinatra, died at age 82.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

BOX, THOMAS J.: Civil War. : Captain, Company D, 27th Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At Resaca, Ga., 14 May 1864. Citation: Capture of flag of the 38th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.).

NEWMAN, MARCELLUS J.: Civil War. Private, Company B, 111th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Resaca, Ga., 14 May 1864. Citation: Voluntarily returned, in the face of a severe fire from the enemy, and rescued a wounded comrade who had been left behind as the regiment fell back.

RANNEY, GEORGE E.
Rank and organization: Assistant Surgeon, 2d Michigan Cavalry. Place and date: At Resaca, Ga., 14 May 1864. Entered service at: Detroit, Mich. Born: 13 June 1839, Batavia, N.Y. Date of issue: 24 April 1901. Citation: At great personal risk, went to the aid of a wounded soldier, Pvt. Charles W. Baker, lying under heavy fire between the lines, and with the aid of an orderly carried him to a place of safety.

SLADEN, JOSEPH A.: Civil War. Private, Company A, 33d Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Resaca, Ga., 14 May 1864. Citation: While detailed as clerk at headquarters, voluntarily engaged in action at a critical moment and personal example inspired the troops to repel the enemy.

TYRRELL, GEORGE WILLIAM: Civil War. Corporal, Company H, 5th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Resaca, Ga., 14 May 1864. Citation: Capture of flag.

JORDAN, GEORGE
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company K, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Fort Tularosa, N. Mex., 14 May 1880; at Carrizo Canyon, N. Mex., 12 August 1881. Entered service at: Nashville, Tenn. Birth: Williamson County, Tenn. Date of issue: 7 May 1890. 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, on 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.

DIAMOND, JAMES H.: World War Two. Posthumous award. : Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company D, 21st Infantry, 24th Infantry Division. Place and date: Mintal, Mindanao, Philippine Islands, 8-14 May 1945. Citation: As a member of the machinegun section, he displayed extreme gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty . When a Japanese sniper rose from his foxhole to throw a grenade into their midst, this valiant soldier charged and killed the enemy with a burst from his submachine gun; then, by delivering sustained fire from his personal arm and simultaneously directing the fire of 105mm. and .50 caliber weapons upon the enemy pillboxes immobilizing this and another machinegun section, he enabled them to put their guns into action. When 2 infantry companies established a bridgehead, he voluntarily assisted in evacuating the wounded under heavy fire; and then, securing an abandoned vehicle, transported casualties to the rear through mortar and artillery fire so intense as to render the vehicle inoperative and despite the fact he was suffering from a painful wound. The following day he again volunteered, this time for the hazardous job of repairing a bridge under heavy enemy fire. On 14 May 1945, when leading a patrol to evacuate casualties from his battalion, which was cut off, he ran through a virtual hail of Japanese fire to secure an abandoned machine gun. Though mortally wounded as he reached the gun, he succeeded in drawing sufficient fire upon himself so that the remaining members of the patrol could reach safety. Pfc. Diamond's indomitable spirit, constant disregard of danger, and eagerness to assist his comrades, will ever remain a symbol of selflessness and heroic sacrifice to those for whom he gave his life.

HAUGE, LOUIS JAMES, JR.: World War Two. Posthumous award. Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as leader of a machinegun squad serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Chain on 14 May 1945. Alert and aggressive during a determined assault against a strongly fortified Japanese hill position, Cpl. Hauge boldly took the initiative when his company's left flank was pinned down under a heavy machinegun and mortar barrage with resultant severe casualties and, quickly locating the 2 machineguns which were delivering the uninterrupted stream of enfilade fire, ordered his squad to maintain a covering barrage as he rushed across an exposed area toward the furiously blazing enemy weapons. Although painfully wounded as he charged the first machinegun, he launched a vigorous single-handed grenade attack, destroyed the entire hostile gun position and moved relentlessly forward toward the other emplacement despite his wounds and the increasingly heavy Japanese fire. Undaunted by the savage opposition, he again hurled his deadly grenades with unerring aim and succeeded in demolishing the second enemy gun before he fell under the slashing fury of Japanese sniper fire. By his ready grasp of the critical situation and his heroic 1-man assault tactics, Cpl. Hauge had eliminated 2 strategically placed enemy weapons, thereby releasing the besieged troops from an overwhelming volume of hostile fire and enabling his company to advance. His indomitable fighting spirit and decisive valor in the face of almost certain death reflect the highest credit upon Cpl. Hauge and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

WAUGH, ROBERT T.: World War Two. Posthumous award. First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 339th Infantry, 85th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Tremensucli, Italy, 11-14 May 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy. In the course of an attack upon an enemy-held hill on 11 May, 1st Lt. Waugh personally reconnoitered a heavily mined area before entering it with his platoon. Directing his men to deliver fire on 6 bunkers guarding this hill, 1st Lt. Waugh advanced alone against them, reached the first bunker, threw phosphorus grenades into it and as the defenders emerged, killed them with a burst from his tommygun. He repeated this process on the 5 remaining bunkers, killing or capturing the occupants. On the morning of 14 May, 1st Lt. Waugh ordered his platoon to lay a base of fire on 2 enemy pillboxes located on a knoll which commanded the only trail up the hill. He then ran to the first pillbox, threw several grenades into it, drove the defenders into the open, and killed them. The second pillbox was next taken by this intrepid officer by similar methods. The fearless actions of 1st Lt. Waugh broke the Gustav Line at that point, neutralizing 6 bunkers and 2 pillboxes and he was personally responsible for the death of 30 of the enemy and the capture of 25 others. He was later killed in action in Itri, Italy, while leading his platoon in an attack.

FOUS, JAMES W.: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company E, 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: Kien Hoa Province, Republic of Vietnam, 14 May 1968. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Fous distinguished himself at the risk of his life while serving as a rifleman with Company E. Pfc. Fous was participating in a reconnaissance-in-force mission when his unit formed its perimeter defense for the night. Pfc. Fous, together with 3 other American soldiers, occupied a position in a thickly vegetated area facing a woodline. Pfc. Fous detected 3 Viet Cong maneuvering toward his position and, after alerting the other men, directed accurate fire upon the enemy soldiers, silencing 2 of them. The third Viet Cong soldier managed to escape in the thick vegetation after throwing a hand grenade into Pfc. Fous' position. Without hesitation, Pfc. Fous shouted a warning to his comrades and leaped upon the lethal explosive, absorbing the blast with his body to save the lives of the 3 men in the area at the sacrifice of his life. Pfc. Fous' extraordinary heroism at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army

McCLEERY, FINNIS D.: Vietnam War. Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th U.S. Infantry. place and date: Quang Tin province, Republic of Vietnam, 14 May 1968. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. P/Sgt. McCleery, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while serving as platoon leader of the 1st platoon of Company A. A combined force was assigned the mission of assaulting a reinforced company of North Vietnamese Army regulars, well entrenched on Hill 352, 17 miles west of Tam Ky. As P/Sgt. McCleery led his men up the hill and across an open area to close with the enemy, his platoon and other friendly elements were pinned down by tremendously heavy fire coming from the fortified enemy positions. Realizing the severe damage that the enemy could inflict on the combined force in the event that their attack was completely halted, P/Sgt. McCleery rose from his sheltered position and began a 1-man assault on the bunker complex. With extraordinary courage, he moved across 60 meters of open ground as bullets struck all around him and rockets and grenades literally exploded at his feet. As he came within 30 meters of the key enemy bunker, P/Sgt. McCleery began firing furiously from the hip and throwing hand grenades. At this point in his assault, he was painfully wounded by shrapnel, but, with complete disregard for his wound, he continued his advance on the key bunker and killed all of its occupants. Having successfully and single-handedly breached the enemy perimeter, he climbed to the top of the bunker he had just captured and, in full view of the enemy, shouted encouragement to his men to follow his assault. As the friendly forces moved forward, P/Sgt. McCleery began a lateral assault on the enemy bunker line. He continued to expose himself to the intense enemy fire as he moved from bunker to bunker, destroying each in turn. He was wounded a second time by shrapnel as he destroyed and routed the enemy from the hill. P/Sgt. McCleery is personally credited with eliminating several key enemy positions and inspiring the assault that resulted in gaining control of Hill 352. His extraordinary heroism at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, was in keeping with the highest standards of the military service, and reflects great credit on him, the Americal Division, and the U.S. Army.

SHEA, DANIEL JOHN: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Private First Class, U.S. Army, Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 14 May 1969. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Shea, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, distinguished himself while serving as a medical aidman with Company C, 3d Battalion, during a combat patrol mission. As the lead platoon of the company was crossing a rice paddy, a large enemy force in ambush positions opened fire with mortars, grenades and automatic weapons. Under heavy crossfire from 3 sides, the platoon withdrew to a small island in the paddy to establish a defensive perimeter. Pfc. Shea, seeing that a number of his comrades had fallen in the initial hail of fire, dashed from the defensive position to assist the wounded. With complete disregard for his safety and braving the intense hostile fire sweeping the open rice paddy, Pfc. Shea made 4 trips to tend wounded soldiers and to carry them to the safety of the platoon position. Seeing a fifth wounded comrade directly in front of one of the enemy strong points, Pfc. Shea ran to his assistance. As he reached the wounded man, Pfc. Shea was grievously wounded. Disregarding his welfare, Pfc. Shea tended his wounded comrade and began to move him back to the safety of the defensive perimeter. As he neared the platoon position, Pfc. Shea was mortally wounded by a burst of enemy fire. By his heroic actions Pfc. Shea saved the lives of several of his fellow soldiers. Pfc. Shea's gallantry in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

None.

Last supplemented on May 14, 2013.

[Pat Holscher]

May 13

Captain William E. Birkhimer, 3d U.S. Artillery. San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 13 May 1899. Last supplemented on May 13, 2013.

Birkhimer also wrote the definitive work, Historical Sketch of the Artillery, United States Army in 1884. It is still a very relevant work on the subject. It contains numerous references, scattered throughout the book, to horses being used to transport artillery. http://archive.org/stream/historicalske ... 4/mode/2up

Neat!

I read in the last issue of the Company of Military Historian's journal that all West Point cadets were taught the art of drawing, as the Army found it to be useful.

[Couvi]

I have seen maps drawn by West Point graduates in pen and ink on linen that I would consider art.

[Pat Holscher]

I have seen maps drawn by West Point graduates in pen and ink on linen that I would consider art.

They are art. Indeed, the article related that they were given pretty good art instruction, which helps explain the occasionally really fine illustrations done by officers of the period.

[Kelton Oliver]

Considering that the original purpose of West Point was to train engineers for the Army, it seems reasonable that drawing was part of the curriculum.

[Calendar]

May 15.

1525 German "Peasants' War" ends as nobles slaughter 5,000.

1536 Queen Anne Boleyn stands trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest. She is condemned to death by a specially-selected jury.

1648 The Treaty of Westphalia signed.

1682 Revolt of the Streltsy at Moscow.

1702 The War of the Spanish Succession begins.

1718 Lawyer James Puckle receives a patent for a repeating firearm - the first "machine gun".

1756 The Seven Years War begins when England declares war on France.

1768 Genoa cedes Corsica to France.

1796 French troops occupy Milan.

1796 Peace of Paris between the French Republic and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

1800 King George III survives an assassination attempt by James Hadfield, who is later acquitted by reason of insanity.

1811 Paraguay declares independence from Spain.

1814 Party of 500 Americans cross Lake Erie from Erie, Pennsylvania and destroy the town of Port Dover.

1850 The Bloody Island Massacre takes place in Lake County, California, in which a large number of Pomo Indians in Lake County are killed by the 1st U.S. Dragoons in an event that started off when the Pomo's reacted to brutal treatment by civilians. Indian casualties are unknown, but nearly all of the this band was killed in this event.

1862 Battle of Princeton, West Virginia.

1862 General Benjamin F. ("Beast") Butler decreed his infamous"Woman Order".

To all VMI Men on this Forum - Happy New Market Day!

For those not in the know, on this day in 1864 the VMI Corps of Cadets formed part of Confederate General Breckenridge's army whose mission was to drive the Union force of ~ 6500 led by General Franz Siegel out of the the Shenandoah Valley.

According to former Secretary of the Army John Marsh [a dedicated student of this battle], the conduct of the Corps of Cadets under fire was so exemplary that a Union cavalry Captain [from Uniontown PA], whose unit was prevented from participating in the battle by the rain swollen river, observed to a man next to him that if he ever had a son he would send him to VMI. Some 20+ years later he did send his son to the Institute. Not wanting to go alone that son talked his best friend into going as well; the friend's name was George C. Marshall. His accomplishments for the United States should need no retelling here.

The class of 1864 had a notable impact on the United States including the initiation of events leading to Marshall's service to the United States; two United States Senators, one of whom drafted our declaration of war against Germany in WWI, Senator Thomas Staples Martin; the other had some position of leadership, but my memory fails me as to which position it was.

Also engaged at New Market was Moses Jacob Ezekiel, class of 1866; perhaps this country's greatest sculptor. He was the first Jewish cadet and graduate from the Institute, a loyal Virginian who said later in life that of all the honors for his life's work which he had earned, the most meaningful title to him was Cadet.

He was one of the Corporals who guarded Stonewall Jackson's casket after Jackson had been killed at Chancellorsville.

Immediately after the Battle of New Market he searched the battlefield for and found his friend Cadet Thomas Jefferson, descendant of the third US President and tended to the mortally wounded cadet for two days reading to him from the Bible - both from the old and new Testaments - as well as singing Christian hymns to him until he died.

Ezekiel himself died on 27 March 1917, full of honors, in Rome where he had made his home for 40 years. His remains couldn't come to the United States due to the war but they were shipped home in February 1921. His funeral at Arlington was the first to be held in the amphitheater there and was presided over by the Secretary of War, John W. Weeks. His casket was guarded by eight VMI cadets, six cadet captains and two other cadets one of whom was a future Commandant of the Marine Corps, Randolph McC. Pate [VMI 1921]. Two of his famous works are of Stonewall Jackson, a copy of which stands in front of Jackson Arch at the Institute and Virginia Mourning Her Dead.

Moses Jacob Ezekiel's simple headstone reads:

Moses J. Ezekiel
Sergeant of Company C
Battalion of Cadets of the
Virginia Military Institute

1863 Osage warriors killed Confederate officers at Drum Creek, Kansas.

1867 The Mexican Republicans defeat the Imperialists, and capture the "Emperor" Maximilian von Hapsburg at the Battle of Queretero.

1870 The 2nd Cavalry was engaged in action at Little Blue Creek, Nebraska.

1882 Czar Alexander III bans Jews from living in rural areas.

1883 Austro-German-Italian military convention.

1885 Louis Riel surrenders to Middleton's troops; North West Rebellion ends after 100 days.

1886 Poet Emily Dickinson died at age 55.

1887 Based on today's Congressional Medals of Honor, the 4th Cavalry engaged the Apaches in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but I do not know any of the details.

Sir:
I have the honor to make this additional report of the engagements of Troop “D,”
4th Cavalry in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mexico with the Apaches on the 15th of May last,
for the reason that I find certain wrong impressions were gained from my previous report, also
that certain statements of my own need correcting. I had been told several times to hurry up
with my report at a time when I had no facilities for writing and had no suitable occasion for
a suitable investigation. Some of the principal men (my two wounded sergeants) being absent,
consequently my report was written more from my own observations, and as I know at present
has done a number of worthy men injustice, whose operations, an account of the rough nature
of the locality, were concealed from me, but the importance of which I now know and fully
appreciate.
It was about 9 a.m. when leading our horses up a steep ascent, on the Indian trail,
we suddenly came in sight of the Indian camp, about 300 yards from us on same level. I had
thirty-six men . . . naming several as horse holders, who immediately took charge of all of the
horses and mules, we deployed and began the attack on the Indians. I had thirty-two men of
the thirty-six in the fight. Before we could fire, however, the Indians had discovered us and
were beginning to climb, rapidly, a steep hill, 200 feet high, commencing its rise at their
camp. We crowded into the Indians as fast as we could, but were unable to reduce the
distance of 300 yards. They were much exposed in their ascent of the hill, and particularly in
a gulch where they collected in numbers, and where they left several traces of their blood—
one Indian being distinctly seen to fall from his horse which was captured, he himself being
taken away by two other Indians. After passing through the camp without stopping, we
climbed the hill in pursuit of the Indians from which we routed them. I saw about thirty
Indians. They made their principal resistance after gaining the top of the hill but did not
remain long when they saw that we would soon be amongst them. After returning to gather
the contents of the camp which contained 21 horses and mules, about 15 fine saddles and
blankets, cooking utensils, etc., we started for Santa Cruz 10 miles distant. At first threefourths
of my men were dismounted with me, and ahead as skirmishers. After proceeding 3
miles, I changed the dispositions and was marching with 12 as mounted men ahead as
skirmishers, 3 mounted men as advance and flankers, 15 men riding in column with me,
leading horses, 6 men driving Indian horses and pack mules and acting as rear guard.
At about 11:45 a.m. and 5 miles from Santa Cruz, we stopped to water the
animals. This caused a delay and the sergeant in charge of the advance guard, not knowing
that we had stopped, continued to advance being hid from us by the many turns of the canyon,
and thus gained 3/4 of a mile, but at the time of attack had halted and was waiting for our
arrival. This sergeant had been instructed several times during the march to keep this
advance a short distance from us. These men had either passed within a few feet of some of
the Indians near the waterholes, or else the Indians had taken this position after the advance
guard had passed. When the volley came from the left and rear, I dismounted and gave the
order to the men to do the same, the following men dismounted and began the fight: Corporal
Minick, Trumpeter Kolb, Privates Cooney, Shellenberger, Reich, Steil, Kelly, Old, Humble,
Buck, Henderson, and Blume. ...At first on dismounting I saw only about five men as
originally reported, the others from the extreme roughness of the locality escaped my notice by
taking positions in some of the numerous ravines leading up from one side of the canyon.
Afterwards in the fight I saw these men, but then and when I made my report I had no idea
where they came from. The horses of Corporal Minick and Private Henderson were both
wounded, and throwing their riders escaped with their carbines. The rear guard was composed
of Sergeant Schillinger, Private Shaw, Saddler Sklozack, Blacksmith Konradi, Trumpeter
Simner, and Private Chandler. These men were cut off and only joined me after a very
hard fight of a half hour, with a part of Indians who were extremely bold and aggressive,
frequently exposing themselves. I have no doubt at all from everything I can learn that several
Indians were wounded by the rear guard. These men were good shots and had many
opportunities of showing it.
First Sergeant Adams, on hearing the firing, started at a run to my assistance with
all of his advanced guard. On meeting the horses and pack mules, with Sergeant Craig and
Private Garman, about five of his men found employment holding the horses and mules.
Sergeant Adams himself, without any delay, came up into the fight, and was followed at short
intervals by Sergeant Pease, Corporal Zollinger, Privates Breslin, Coughlan, Stone, Roberts,
Champion, Walbridge, and Todd. In my former report when I state that at no time could I get
but eleven or twelve men, I meant under my immediate command, for purpose of advancing
on the position of the Indians. At the same time I recollect that presence of all the thirty men
mentioned at some time during the fight. Where they were at all times I do not know. I myself
was constantly shifting my position, always with about the same number of men. At the time
I was aware that I did not have the same men with me always. They were continually
changing, except a few, where they would go I do not know.
From the network of ravines cutting up our portion of the field, there were parties
of men . . . holding good positions and entirely out of sight of me. As an instance of this I can
mention a case of Sergeant Schillinger, with a party of men passing in close proximity to my
position and being under the impression that I had left but finally joining me. My horses,
except the few tied to trees, were being held on a high hill about 1,000 yards from the fight, in
the direction of Santa Cruz. When I finally left the place as I stated, I had about twelve men
directly with me. After having moved away I was joined by other men. On reaching my
horses I found them in the possession of about six men. I mounted and marched on towards
Santa Cruz and camped 1/2 mile from town, the first place I found. The reason I have been so
explicit in the report is on account of certain points not understood by you in my former report:
One, that my horses had stampeded and gone to Santa Cruz, the other that some of my men
ran and went to Santa Cruz, and because, as I have said, I was so poorly prepared to make
any report at the time you called on me first. Also, from certain malicious, false statements
made subsequent to my fight by my Mexican guides Ramon Moreno and Mendez, which at
first I thought nothing of, as contemptible, but since their statements have reached some of the
respectable papers of the country, I can only, in justice to my men, make this full report. The
case of the guides is this. At the first shot they put spurs to their horses and going at a run did
not stop for an instant, until they arrived at Santa Cruz, and knew nothing whatever of the
fight. None of my men ran to Santa Cruz or anywhere else. When Sergeants Adams and
Craig were wounded, they after a long time and the loss of much blood, went to Santa Cruz
seeking medical aid, assisted by Privates Garman and Jantzen. Garman also was leading
four pack mules.
These Mexican guides were discharged by me for cowardice, and since they were
accused of it at San Pedro, from which place they came to excuse themselves made the entirely
false statements regarding my men. When it is considered that none of my men had been
under fire before that day, that some had never fired a gun, that one position was one of an
extremely desperate character, for 2 hours or more, that after my sergeants were wounded,
we fought on for at least 1 hour and a half with two sergeants and two corporals, I must say
that my men behaved remarkably well. If not we would certainly have been massacred. Since
my original report and finding out about these different men in the field and unknown to me at
the time, I can account for the apparent timidity of the Indians and their little execution not
withstanding their strong position and numbers. Besides endeavoring to save Conradi as I
reported, I had two definite objects for holding on long after it seemed suicide to do so. I had
ordered Lieutenant Brown with “I” Troop to get on my trail and be sure to overtake me on
that day, as I told (wrote) him I was going to have a fight. I fully expected him all day. Also
I fully expected aid from Santa Cruz. . . .
With two troops I could have given the Indians a sound beating, one was entirely
too small. The positions made by the Indians were skillfully taken, and prevented anything but
my holding my own awaiting assistance.
I would recommend Sergeant Craig for great gallantry during the morning’s fight.
Also in the afternoon fight, he was met by the advanced guard returning to me and lifted from
his horse after fainting. On recovering from that condition he remained where he was and did
most valuable service, in arranging further safety of my horses, only going to Santa Cruz
when joined by Sergeant Adams, also wounded. I recommend First Sergeant Adams for great
bravery, after being wounded he accompanied my for some considerable time and would not
leave until I ordered him to do so. I also recommend for bravery, and men who could be
relied on in any emergency, the following: Sergeant Schillinger, Corporal Zollinger, Trumpeter
Koch, Saddler Sklozack, Private (now Corporal) Shaw, Private Chandler, Private Cooney,
Private Reith, Private Breslin, Private Coughlan, and Privates Todd and Old. In the thirty
men out of the thirty-six that I have were in the fight. I include First Sergeant Adams, Sergeant
Craig, and Private Lieberman, to show that six of my men had charge of my horses and mules
which number could not have been well reduced.
Very respectfully, Your Obedient Servant, Charles A. P. Hatfield, Captain, 4th
Cavalry, commanding Troop"

In his earlier report, Captain Hatfield told in more detail about the attempt to rescue the
wounded Conradi.

"After about 1/2 hour my First Sergeant and a few of the men came to my aid. Just
at this time, Blacksmith Conradi, one of my men in the rear, was severely wounded, and to
enable us to get him out, I collected my men and made a rush and took a position very nearly
under where the Indians were, who were keeping up a tremendous fire but without much aim.
At this point my First Sergeant was near me and endeavoring to get Conradi away (who was
lying on his back, wounded, but firing all the time) was wounded. We then changed our
position and took a hill in an effort to suppress the Indian fire, but no use. As soon as we
located the fire, they would commence in our rear of flank.
At this time and for some time before, all our efforts were to save Conradi and the
final attempt was made by securing a position to cover two volunteers (citizen packer Bowman
and Private Coughlan) who were to go in and bring out Conradi’s body. After the men had
their hands on Conradi, he was killed in the volley following. On seeing this, and having
nothing else to do, after being engaged for 2 hours in this queerest of all fights, I called to the
men to begin to deploy and fall back, which was done with great leisure, continually keeping
up our fire. I then had no more than eleven of twelve men.
My losses: Private Liebenow killed and Sergeant Craig wounded in the first volley.
Blacksmith Conradi killed and Sergeant Adams wounded in the fighting afterward..."

Samuel Craig was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts
to rescue his fallen comrades. Capt. Hatfield was brevetted Major for his part in the action.

1894 Nova Scotia votes for prohibition of alcoholic beverages.

1904 Japanese battleships Hatsuse and Yashima mined & sunk off Port Arthur.

1916 Austrians capture Asiago from the Italians.

1918 The U.S. Post Office and the U.S. Army began regularly scheduled airmail service between Washington and New York through Philadelphia.

1918 PFC Henry Johnson and PFC Needham Roberts received the Croix de Guerre for their services in World War I. They were the first Americans to win France's highest military medal.

1919 Greeks capture Smyrna.

1930 Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard a United Airlines flight from San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wyo.

1939 Dupont introduces nylon; within a year Japanese sales of silk to the US fall 30 percent.

1940 First successful test flight of an American helicopter; the Vought-Sikorsky US-300.

1940 German troops occupy Amsterdam.

1941 British attack Halfaya Pass and Fort Capuzzo in Egypt & Libya

Here's a highly topical one, for this day in 1942.

Gas rationing limits US motorist to 3 gallons per week, except for those in critical industries.

Ah yes. . .



In other Petroleum related history, on this day, in 1911 the Supreme Court approved the busing up of Standard Oil under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

1943 Cuban sub chaser CS-13 sinks the U-176.

1945 The final skirmish in Europe during WWII is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia.

1948 Shortly after Israel declaring its statehood, it was attacked by Transjordon, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

1970 President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington the first female United States Army Generals.

1975 Merchant ship U.S. Mayaguez was recaptured from Cambodia.

1975 F. E. Warren (D. A. Russell) designated a National Historic Landmark District.

1988 The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.

1990 The Remount Ranch in Laramie County added to the National Register of Historic Places. It had been owned by Mary O'Hara, author of My Friend Flicka. Her husband at the time had raised Remounts for sale to the Army, although the ranch largely raised sheep.

2006 Saddam Hussein refused to enter a plea at his trial in Iraq for crimes against humanity, insisting he was still the country's president.

2006 The United States removed Libya from its list of terrorist states.

Congressional Medals of Honor for action on this day:

Sergeant James M. Burns, Company B, 1st West Virginia Infantry. Place and date: At New Market, Va., 15 May 1864. Citation: Under a heavy fire of musketry, rallied a few men to the support of the colors, in danger of capture and bore them to a place of safety. One of his comrades having been severely wounded in the effort, Sgt. Burns went back a hundred yards in the face of the enemy's fire and carried the wounded man from the field.

Sergeant Thomas D. Collins, Company H, 143d New York Infantry. Place and date: At Resaca, Ga., 15 May 1864. Citation: Captured a regimental flag of the enemy.

Private Thomas Cosgrove, Company F, 40th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Drurys Bluff, Va., 15 May 1864. Citation: Individually demanded and received the surrender of 7 armed Confederates concealed in a cellar, disarming and marching them in as prisoners of war.

Fireman Charles Kenyon, U.S. Navy. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Calena in the attack upon Drewry's Bluff, 15 May 1862. Severely burned while extricating a priming wire which had become bent and fixed in the bow gun while his ship underwent terrific shelling from the enemy, Kenyon hastily dressed his hands with cotton waste and oil and courageously returned to his gun while enemy sharpshooters in rifle pits along the banks continued to direct their fire at the men at the guns.

Sergeant John S. Kenyon, Company D, 3d New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Trenton, N.C., 15 May 1862. Citation: Voluntarily left a retiring column, returned in face of the enemy's fire, helped a wounded man upon a horse, and so enable him to escape capture or death.

Corporal John F. Mackie, U.S. Marine Corps. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Calena in the attack on Fort Darling at Drewry's Bluff, James River, on 15 May 1862. As enemy shellfire raked the deck of his ship, Corporal Mackie fearlessly maintained his musket fire against the rifle pits along the shore and, when ordered to fill vacancies at guns caused by men wounded and killed in action, manned the weapon with skill and courage.

Corporal Mackie was the first Marine to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Captain Paul A. Oliver, Company D. 12th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Resaca, Ga. 15 May 1864 Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Born: 18 July 1831, at sea in the English Channel aboard American flagship. Date of issue. 12 October 1892. Citation: While acting as aide assisted in preventing a disaster caused by Union troops firing into each other.

Private George F. Pond, Company C, 3d Wisconsin Cavalry. Place and date: At Drywood, Kans., 15 May 1864. Citation: With 2 companions, attacked a greatly superior force of guerrillas, routed them, and rescued several prisoners.

Quartermaster Jeremiah Regan, U.S. Navy. Citation: As captain of No. 2 gun on board the U.S.S. Galena in the attack upon Drewy's Bluff, 15 May 1862. With his ship severely damaged by the enemy's shellfire and several men killed and wounded Regan, continued to man his gun throughout the engagement despite the concentration of fire directed against men at their guns by enemy sharpshooters in rifle pits along the banks.

Private Joseph S. G. Sweatt, Company C, 6th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Carrsville, Va., 15 May 1863. Citation: When ordered to retreat this soldier turned and rushed back to the front, in the face of heavy fire of the enemy, in an endeavor to rescue his wounded comrades, remaining by them until overpowered and taken prisoner.

Major and Aide_de_Camp Henry Tremain, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Resaca, Ga., 15 May 1864. Citation: Voluntarily rode between the lines while 2 brigades of Union troops were firing into each other and stopped the firing.

Private Heth Canfield, Company C, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date. At Little Blue, Nebr. 15 May 1870. Citation. Gallantry in action.

Sergeant Samuel H. Craig, Company D, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Santa Cruz Mountains, Mex., 15 May 1886. Citation: Conspicuous gallantry during an attack on a hostile Apache Indian Camp; seriously wounded.

Private Michael Himmelsback, Company C, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Blue, Nebr., 15 May 1870. Citation: Gallantry in action.

Private Thomas Hubbard, Company C, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Blue, Nebr., 15 May 1870. Citation: Gallantry in action.

Sergeant Patrick Leonard, Company C, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Blue, Nebr., 15 May 1870.Citation: Gallantry in action.

GENERAL ORDERS No. 21
Headquarters Department of the Platte
Omaha, Nebraska, June 1, 1870
II. On the 15th of May, 1870, Sergeant Patrick Leonard and four men of Company C, Second Cavalry, searching on the Little Blue, Nebraska, for strayed horses, were suddenly surrounded and fired upon by a party of fifty Indians. Private Hubbard and two horses were wounded at the first fire. The Sergeant dismounted his party, giving his horses to be held by the wounded soldier. The Indians immediately charged, but were repulsed with one killed and, it is believed, three wounded. Sergeant Leonard then killed his two wounded horses, and formed a breastwork of them. No sooner was this done than the Indians again charged; were again repulsed and retired with two empty saddles, besides four Indians wounded. Within half an hour they returned for their dead and wounded, and for two hours kept up a series of feigned attacks and desultory sharpshooting. Failing to accomplish anything, they retired. The Sergeant then withdrew his party having had all his horses killed; took under his charge a settler’s family of two women and one child, and started for the lower settlement. Having gone about a mile, he was again surrounded by Indians, who, upon the appearance of a party of surveyors, fled without renewing the attack.
The Sergeant and his party reached Captain Spaulding’s camp between ten and eleven o’clock the same night.
Captain Spaulding commends Sergeant Leonard, Privates George W. Thompson, Hetch Canfield, Thomas Hubbard, and Michael Himmelsbach, all of Company C, Second Cavalry, to the notice of the Commanding General.
By command of Brevet Major General AUGUR
George D. Ruggles,
Assistant Adjutant-General

Private George W. Thompson, Company C, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Blue, Nebr., 15 May 1870. Citation: Gallantry in action.

Major Henry Alexius Courtney, Jr. U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Executive Officer of the 2d Battalion, 22d Marines, 6th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Islands, 14 and 15 May 1945. Ordered to hold for the night in static defense behind Sugar Loaf Hill after leading the forward elements of his command in a prolonged fire fight, Maj. Courtney weighed the effect of a hostile night counterattack against the tactical value of an immediate marine assault, resolved to initiate the assault, and promptly obtained permission to advance and seize the forward slope of the hill. Quickly explaining the situation to his small remaining force, he declared his personal intention of moving forward and then proceeded on his way, boldly blasting nearby cave positions and neutralizing enemy guns as he went. Inspired by his courage, every man followed without hesitation, and together the intrepid marines braved a terrific concentration of Japanese gunfire to skirt the hill on the right and reach the reverse slope. Temporarily halting, Maj. Courtney sent guides to the rear for more ammunition and possible replacements. Subsequently reinforced by 26 men and an LVT load of grenades, he determined to storm the crest of the hill and crush any planned counterattack before it could gain sufficient momentum to effect a breakthrough. Leading his men by example rather than by command, he pushed ahead with unrelenting aggressiveness, hurling grenades into cave openings on the slope with devastating effect. Upon reaching the crest and observing large numbers of Japanese forming for action less than 100 yards away, he instantly attacked, waged a furious battle and succeeded in killing many of the enemy and in forcing the remainder to take cover in the caves. Determined to hold, he ordered his men to dig in and, coolly disregarding the continuous hail of flying enemy shrapnel to rally his weary troops, tirelessly aided casualties and assigned his men to more advantageous positions. Although instantly killed by a hostile mortar burst while moving among his men, Maj. Courtney, by his astute military acumen, indomitable leadership and decisive action in the face of overwhelming odds, had contributed essentially to the success of the Okinawa campaign. His great personal valor throughout sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Victoria Crosses for action on this day:

Chief Skipper Joseph Watt. Royal Navy. Citation: The King has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned officer:-
Skipper Joseph Watt, R.N.R., 1206 W.S.A. For most conspicuous gallantry when the Allied Drifter Line in the straits of Otranto was attacked by Austrian light cruisers on the morning of the 15th May, 1917.

When hailed by an Austrian cruiser at about 100 yards rangeand ordered to stop and abandon his drifter "Gowan Lea", Skipper Watt ordered full speed ahead and called upon his crew to give three cheers and fight to the finish. The cruiser was then engaged, but after one round had been fired, a shot from the enemy disabled the breech of the drifter's gun. The gun's crew, however, stuck to the gun, endeavouring to make it work, being under heavy fire all the time. After the cruiser had passed on Skipper Watt took the "Gowan Lea" alongside the badly damaged drifter "Floandi" and assisted to remove the dead and wounded.


Captain (then 2nd Lt) Richard Wallace Annand. 2nd Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, British Army. For most conspicuous gallantry on the 15th-16th May 1940, when the platoon under his command was on the south side of the River Dyle, astride a blown bridge. During the night a strong attack was beaten off, but about 11 a.m. the enemy again launched a violent attack and pushed forward a bridging party into the sunken bottom of the river. Second Lieutenant Annand attacked this party, but when ammunition ran out he went forward himself over open ground, with total disregard for enemy mortar and machine-gun fire. Reaching the top of the bridge, he drove out the party below, inflicting over twenty casualties with hand grenades. Having been wounded he rejoined his platoon, had his wound dressed, and then carried on in command.

Private Edward "Ted" Kenna. 2/4 Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Military Forces. Citation: n the South West Pacific at Wewak on 15th May, 1945, during the attack on the Wirui Mission features, Private Kenna's company had the task of capturing certain enemy positions. The only position from which observation for supporting fire could be obtained was continuously swept by enemy heavy machine gun fire and it was not possible to bring Artillery or Mortars into action.
Kenna during his military service

Private Kenna's platoon was ordered forward to deal with the enemy machine gun post, so that the company operation could proceed. His section moved as close as possible to the bunker in order to harass any enemy seen, so that the remainder of the platoon could attack from the flank. When the attacking sections came into view of the enemy they were immediately engaged at very close range by heavy automatic fire from a position not previously disclosed. Casualties were suffered and the attackers could not move further forward.

Private Kenna endeavoured to put his Bren gun into a position where he could engage the bunker, but was unable to do so because of the nature of the ground. On his own initiative and without orders Private Kenna immediately stood up in full view of the enemy less than fifty yards away and engaged the bunker, firing his Bren gun from the hip. The enemy machine gun immediately returned Private Kenna's fire and with such accuracy that bullets actually passed between his arms and his body. Undeterred, he remained completely exposed and continued to fire at the enemy until his magazine was exhausted. Still making a target of himself, Private Kenna discarded his Bren gun and called for a rifle. Despite the intense machine gun fire, he seized the rifle and, with amazing coolness, killed the gunner with his first round.

A second automatic opened fire on Private Kenna from a different position and another of the enemy immediately tried to move into position behind the first machine gun, but Private Kenna remained standing and killed him with his next round.

The result of Private Kenna's magnificent bravery in the face of concentrated fire, was that the bunker was captured without further loss, and the company attack proceeded to a successful conclusion, many enemy being killed and numerous automatic weapons captured.

There is no doubt that the success of the company attack would have been seriously endangered and many casualties sustained but for Private Kenna's magnificent courage and complete disregard for his own safety. His action was an outstanding example of the highest degree of bravery.

Last supplemented on May 15, 2012.

[Calendar]

May 16

1152 King Henry II of England, age 19, wed Eleanor of Aquitaine, age 30.

1532 St. Sir Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor of England.

1648 Battle of Zólty Wody in which Bohdan Chmielricki's Cossacks defeat John Casimir's Poles

1691 Jacob Leisler, American colonist, hanged for treason.

1760 Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, composer of "La Marseillaise," born.

1770 Marie Antoinette, age 14, a daughter of Maria Therese, the Austrian monarch, married the future King Louis XVI of France, age 15.

May 16, 1763 In a bookshop in London, James Boswell first meets Samuel Johnson.

May 16, 1791 Boswell's "Life of Johnson" published

1801 William Henry Seward, Secretary of State born.

1806 George C. Cadwalader, Maj Gen, U.S., born.

1816 Henry Hopkins Sibley, Brig Gen, C.S.A., born.

1817 Mississippi River steamboat service begins with The New Orleans being the first boat.

1819 Daniel Ammen, US naval officer, historian, born.

1824 Edmund Kirby Smith, General, C.S.A., born.

1846 Battle of Campeche at which the Texas Navy defeats the Mexican fleet.

1861 Kentucky proclaimed its neutrality in the Civil War.

1861 Tennessee admitted to the Confederacy.

1863 The Union prevails at the Battle of Champion's Hill.

1866 Congress authorized minting of the nickel.

1868 The United States Senate failed by one vote to impeach President Andrew Johnson

1905 Actor Henry Fonda was born in Grand Island, Neb. Amongst his service related films was the classic, Mr. Roberts, and of course, Ft. Apache.

1916 Gregory Peck, actor, born. Amongst his service films was the WWII air war classic, Twelve O'Clock High.

1918 The Sedition Act of 1918 passed by the U.S. Congress making criticism of the government an imprisonable offense of 20 years or fined $20,000.

1920 Joan of Arc canonized.

1927 Marines participated in the Battle of La Paz Centro in Nicaragua.

1929 "Wings" wins the first Oscar for best picture.

1941 The Duke of Aosta surrenders the last Italian troops in Ethiopia to the British.

1942 Indian Nationalists demand "U.S. Quit India" as American troops arrive to fight the Japanese.

1943 German troops destroy the main synagogue of Warsaw.

1944 German military police attack gypsies in the Netherlands.

1944 Siege of Kohima ends.

1945 The U-234 surrendered to US forces at Portsmouth, NH. It had been bound for Tokyo with ten containers of uranium oxide. The atomic material ended up in the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

1975 India invades and annexes Sikkim.

1997 Mobutu Sese Seko, ended 32 years of autocratic rule, giving control of the country to rebel forces.

2001 Former FBI agent Robert Hanssen was indicted on charges of spying for Moscow.

2002 The remains of kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl were unearthed in Pakistan.

2003 Five simultaneous suicide attacks claimed the lives of 33 victims in Casablanca, Morocco.

2005 Newsweek magazine retracted a story that claimed investigators had found evidence the Quran was desecrated by interrogators at the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay. The story had sparked deadly protests in Afghanistan.

2005 Army Specialist Sabrina Harman was convicted at Fort Hood, Texas, of six of the seven charges she faced for her role in the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

HILL, JAMES: Civil War. First Lieutenant, Company I, 21st lowa Infantry. Place and date: At Champion Hill, Miss., 16 May 1863. Citation: By skillful and brave management captured 3 of the enemy's pickets.

WILHELM, GEORGE: Civil War. Captain, Company F, 56th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Champion Hill, or Bakers Creek, Miss., 16 May 1863. Citation: Having been badly wounded in the breast and captured, he made a prisoner of his captor and brought him into camp.

GRAY, ROBERT A.: Civil War. Sergeant, Company C, 21st Connecticut Infantry. Place and date: At Drurys Bluff, Va., 16 May 1864. Citation: While retreating with his regiment, which had been repulsed, he voluntarily returned, in face of the enemy's fire, to a former position and rescued a wounded officer of his company who was unable to walk.

LORD, WILLIAM: Civil War. Musician, Company C, 40th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Drurys Bluff, Va., 16 May 1864. Citation: Went to the assistance of a wounded officer Iying helpless between the lines, and under fire from both sides removed him to a place of safety.

BABCOCK, JOHN B.: Indian Wars. First Lieutenant, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Spring Creek, Nebr., 16 May 1869. Entered service at: Stonington, Conn. Citation: While serving with a scouting column, this officer's troop was attacked by a vastly superior force of Indians. Advancing to high ground, he dismounted his men, remaining mounted himself to encourage them, and there fought the Indians until relieved, his horse being wounded.

Awards issued for action on this day for action in the Philippines:

BOEHLER, OTTO : Private, Company I, 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry.

DAVIS, CHARLES P.: Private, Company G, 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry.

HIGH, FRANK C.: Private, U.S. Army, Company G, 2d Oregon Volunteer Infantry.

KINNE, JOHN B.: Private, Company B, 1st North Dakota Infantry.

LONGFELLOW, RICHARD M.: Private, Company A, 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry.

ROBERTSON, MARCUS W.: Private, Company B, 2d Oregon Volunteer Infantry.

ROSS, FRANK F.: Private, Company H, 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry.

MULLER, JOSEPH E.: World War Two. Posthumous award. Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 305th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Ishimmi, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 15-16 May 1945. Citation: He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. When his platoon was stopped by deadly fire from a strongly defended ridge, he directed men to points where they could cover his attack. Then through the vicious machinegun and automatic fire, crawling forward alone, he suddenly jumped up, hurled his grenades, charged the enemy, and drove them into the open where his squad shot them down. Seeing enemy survivors about to man a machinegun, He fired his rifle at point-blank range, hurled himself upon them, and killed the remaining 4. Before dawn the next day, the enemy counterattacked fiercely to retake the position. Sgt. Muller crawled forward through the flying bullets and explosives, then leaping to his feet, hurling grenades and firing his rifle, he charged the Japs and routed them. As he moved into his foxhole shared with 2 other men, a lone enemy, who had been feigning death, threw a grenade. Quickly seeing the danger to his companions, Sgt. Muller threw himself over it and smothered the blast with his body. Heroically sacrificing his life to save his comrades, he upheld the highest traditions of the military service.

BALLARD, DONALD E.: Vietnam War. Hospital Corpsman Second Class, U.S. Navy, Company M, 3d Battalion, 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 16 May 1968. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life and beyond the call of duty while serving as a HC2c. with Company M, in connection with operations against enemy aggressor forces. During the afternoon hours, Company M was moving to join the remainder of the 3d Battalion in Quang Tri Province. After treating and evacuating 2 heat casualties, HC2c. Ballard was returning to his platoon from the evacuation landing zone when the company was ambushed by a North Vietnamese Army unit employing automatic weapons and mortars, and sustained numerous casualties. Observing a wounded marine, HC2c. Ballard unhesitatingly moved across the fire swept terrain to the injured man and swiftly rendered medical assistance to his comrade. HC2c. Ballard then directed 4 marines to carry the casualty to a position of relative safety. As the 4 men prepared to move the wounded marine, an enemy soldier suddenly left his concealed position and, after hurling a hand grenade which landed near the casualty, commenced firing upon the small group of men. Instantly shouting a warning to the marines, HC2c. Ballard fearlessly threw himself upon the lethal explosive device to protect his comrades from the deadly blast. When the grenade failed to detonate, he calmly arose from his dangerous position and resolutely continued his determined efforts in treating other marine casualties. HC2c. Ballard's heroic actions and selfless concern for the welfare of his companions served to inspire all who observed him and prevented possible injury or death to his fellow marines. His courage, daring initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of extreme personal danger, sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

ROARK, ANUND C.: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. Place and date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 16 May 1968. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Roark distinguished himself by extraordinary gallantry while serving with Company C. Sgt. Roark was the point squad leader of a small force which had the mission of rescuing 11 men in a hilltop observation post under heavy attack by a company-size force, approximately 1,000 meters from the battalion perimeter. As lead elements of the relief force reached the besieged observation post, intense automatic weapons fire from enemy occupied bunkers halted their movement. Without hesitation, Sgt. Roark maneuvered his squad, repeatedly exposing himself to withering enemy fire to hurl grenades and direct the fire of his squad to gain fire superiority and cover the withdrawal of the outpost and evacuation of its casualties. Frustrated in their effort to overrun the position, the enemy swept the hilltop with small arms and volleys of grenades. Seeing a grenade land in the midst of his men, Sgt. Roark, with complete disregard for his safety, hurled himself upon the grenade, absorbing its blast with his body. Sgt. Roark's magnificent leadership and dauntless courage saved the lives of many of his comrades and were the inspiration for the successful relief of the outpost. His actions which culminated in the supreme sacrifice of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect great credit on himself and the U.S. Army .

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

Second Boer War

BELL Frederick William: Lieutenant. West Australian Mounted Infantry, Australian Forces. Citation: On 16 May 1901 at Brakpan, Transvaal, South Africa, when retiring through a heavy fire after holding the right flank, Lieutenant Bell noticed a man dismounted and returned and took him up behind him. The horse not being equal to the weight fell with them, Lieutenant Bell then remained behind and covered the man's retirement till he was out of danger.

[b]World War One.

BARTER Frederick: Sergeant-major, The Royal Welch Fusiliers, British Army Citation: On 16 May 1915 at Festubert, France, Company Sergeant-Major Barter, when in the first line of German trenches, called for volunteers to enable him to extend our line, and with the eight men who responded, he attacked the German position with bombs, capturing three German officers, 102 men and 500 yards of their trenches. He subsequently found and cut 11 of the enemy's mine leads situated about 20 yards apart.

World War Two.

JEFFERSON Francis Arthur: Fusilier. 2nd Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, British Army. Citation: On 16 May 1944, during an attack on the Gustav Line, Monte Cassino, Italy, the leading company of Fusilier Jefferson's battalion had to dig in without protection. The enemy counter-attacked opening fire at short range, and Fusilier Jefferson on his own initiative seized a PIAT gun and, running forward under a hail of bullets, fired on the leading tank. It burst into flames and its crew were killed. The fusilier then reloaded and went towards the second tank which withdrew before he could get within range. By this time, British tanks had arrived and the enemy counter-attack was smashed.

Last supplemented on May 16, 2013.

[Calendar]

May 17

1673 Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette began exploring the Mississippi.

1741 John Penn, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, born.

1756 Britain declares war on France.

1792 The New York Stock Exchange was founded by brokers meeting under a tree on what is now Wall Street. It continues on today, of course, much in the news in our own era.

1812 Joseph Warren Revere, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1814 Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden.

1829 John Jay died at age 83.

1849 Great Fire of St. Louis.

1853 Ft. Riley established.

1863 Union defeatsConfederates on the Big Black River.

1868 Camp Cooke Montana attacked by large party of Sioux.

1875 The first Kentucky Derby was run; the winner was Aristides.

1876 7th Cavalry departs Ft. Lincoln on campaign. Family members gathered to watch them leave the post as the band played martial music. Quite a few of the troopers would never return.

I had in mind the tunes played on this occasion, and was able to confirm that my recollection was correct. In addition to Garry Owen, the 7th Cavalry band, on this occasion, played The Girl I Left Behind Me. Pretty appropriate in all sorts of ways.

Regarding this, it's also frequently stated that George A. Custer lead the 7th Cavalry out of Ft. Abraham Lincoln. But Terry was in command of the 7th Cavalry, not Custer. It's interesting how this tends to be overlooked right from the onset of this ill fated expedition.

Also, it's worth noting that the Battle of the Little Big Horn didn't happen until June 25. Ft. Lincoln is somewhat near Mandan North Dakota. They went a long ways in five weeks, but consider what these expeditions must have been like!

Has anyone here been to Ft. A. Lincoln?

I was there in 1976.
Nothing much to see except the reconstructed blockhouse above the post proper.
I did poke about, humming Garryowen, hoping to find a relic and managed a cut nail from the foundations of a house which had burned down.
It was scheduled for some restoration then, which I believe has been carried out since.
I liked it then, but haven't seen it since.
The reconstructed Mandan lodges nearby were worth seeing and proved an interesting contrast to the tipis that are more familiar as the homes of plains peoples.

1884 - Alaska became a US territory.

May 17

1885 Geronimo breaks out of Arizona reservation

Taking a look at this event, I note that what precipitated was a concern about corn beer, oddly enough. In early May Geronimo and a dozen other Apache leaders staged a corn beer festival and reported that to the authorities. All liquor was prohibited on the reservation, but apparently exceptions could be made with permission. No reply was forthcoming due to a communications mess up, so the Apaches concluded that Army was going to retaliate, so they left. The whole thing could have actually been avoided.

I didn't actually know that the Apaches brewed corn beer. I knew that the Aztecs and Mayans did, but I thought that was a Central American Indian thing. Apparently its an extremely weak beer, and frankly it doesn't sound very good. A corn beer with no hops sounds sort of icky, but I may be making unwarranted assumptions.

"Tiswin!" A favorite of chunky-style beer lovers the world over.

I have a doctor friend who tried some once and commented, "It doesn't have enough alcohol to kill the bugs you know are in it."

People seem to have started brewing beer about two weeks after they discovered water. But modern beer is actually amazingly complicated if you consider all the weird ingredients that go into it. Hops is the really weird one, as it's a type of flower. What first caused somebody to think of dumping them in their brew while it was brewing you have to wonder. I once listed to a BBC broadcast that described the malting process and it was so amazingly complicated that I have no idea of what it actually is. All of which leads me to suspect that primitive beers, which seem to be a grain, sugar, yeast, and water, might be pretty bad. Still, there's actually a recipe for beer dating back to the ancient Egyptians, so apparently people have been making that sort of beer for eons.

There is some question as to whether early man changed from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more sedentary farming lifestyle because of the need to bake bread and brew beer, both of which require
similar ingredients.

Indeed I've also read the claim that early beer (which as you note was very low alcohol) was really food, not a beverage per se.

Alcohol causes massive social problems and is destructive to many on an individual basis, but folks who study this stuff also claim that human beings appear to be actually evolved to specifically handle the poisonous aspects of alcohol at low levels, suggesting that it entered the human diet quite early and that we're adapted it handle it at some relatively low level (obviously not the quart of Jim Beam a day level some ingest). By contrast, according to evolutionary biologist, our bodies are not designed at all to handle sugary drinks, making soda and the like dangerous at high levels, oddly enough, over the long term. I.e, too much will make a person blimp up and get diabetes.

Weird but fascinating stuff.

You know, we have this episode, and of course the Whiskey Rebellion as well. Are there any other conflicts the source of which were a dispute over alcohol, as opposed to conflicts fueled by alcohol.

1900 Ruhollah Khomeini, born.

1900 Boers besiege Mafeking

1905 Norway declares independence from Sweden.

1925 Malcolm X, born.

1928 Pol Pot, born.

1937 Teddy Hill and His Orchestra recorded "King Porter Stomp" for RCA Victor's Bluebird label, the recording debut for Dizzy Gillespie.

1940 The Germans occupied Brussels. President Roosevelt announces plans to recommission 35 more destroyers.

1942 USS Tautog sinks Japanese submarine I-28 and USS Triton sinks I-164.

1946 President Harry S. Truman seized control of the nation's railroads, delaying a threatened strike.

1954 The U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

1970 ARVN invades the Cambodian "Parrot's Beak".

1973 The Senate began hearings into Watergate..

1987 An Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S. Navy frigate Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 American sailors.

1997 Rebel leader Kabila declared himself president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The country has yet to become stable and free of all sorts of terrible ills.

2007 Trains crossed the border dividing the two Koreas for the first time in more than fifty years.

Congressional Medals of Honor for action on this day:

KENDALL, WILLIAM W.: Civil War. First Sergeant, Company A, 49th Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At Black River Bridge, Miss., 17 May 1863. Citation: Voluntarily led the company in a charge and was the first to enter the enemy's works, taking a number of prisoners.

DAY, JAMES: World War Two. Corporal, United States Marine Corps. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a squad leader serving with the Second Battalion, Twenty-Second Marines, Sixth Marine Division, in sustained combat operations against Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukya Islands from 14 to 17 May 1945. On the first day, Corporal Day rallied his squad and the remnants of another unit and led them to a critical position forward of the front lines of Sugar Loaf Hill. Soon thereafter, they came under an intense mortar and artillery barrage that was quickly followed by a ferocious ground attack by some forty Japanese soldiers. Despite the loss of one-half of his men, Corporal Day remained at the forefront, shouting encouragement, hurling hand grenades, and directing deadly fire, thereby repelling the determined enemy. Reinforced by six men, he led his squad in repelling three fierce night attacks but suffered five additional Marines killed and one wounded, whom he assisted to safety. Upon hearing nearby calls for corpsman assistance, Corporal Day braved heavy enemy fire to escort four seriously wounded Marines, one at a time, to safety. Corporal Day then manned a light machine gun, assisted by a wounded Marine, and halted another night attack. In the ferocious action, his machine gun was destroyed, and he suffered multiple white phosphorous and fragmentation wounds. He reorganized his defensive position in time to halt a fifth enemy attack with devastating small arms fire. On three separated occasions, Japanese soldiers closed to within a few feet of his foxhole, but were killed by Corporal Day. During the second day, the enemy conducted numerous unsuccessful swarming attacks against his exposed position. When the attacks momentarily subsided, over 70 enemy dead were counted around his position. On the third day, a wounded and exhausted Corporal Day repulsed the enemy's final attack, killing a dozen enemy soldiers at close range. Having yielded no ground and with more than 100 enemy dead around his position, Corporal Day preserved the lives of his fellow Marines and made a significant contribution to the success of the Okinawa campaign. By his extraordinary heroism, repeated acts of valor, and quintessential battlefield leadership, Corporal Day inspired the efforts of his outnumbered Marines to defeat a much larger enemy force, reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

BURKE, ROBERT C.: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company 1, 3d Battalion, 27th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Southern Quang Nam Province Republic of Vietnam, 17 May 1968. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty for service as a machine gunner with Company 1. While on Operation ALLEN BROOK, Company 1 was approaching a dry river bed with a heavily wooded treeline that borders the hamlet of Le Nam (1), when they suddenly came under intense mortar, rocket propelled grenades, automatic weapons and small-arms fire from a large, well concealed enemy force which halted the company's advance and wounded several marines. Realizing that key points of resistance had to be eliminated to allow the units to advance and casualties to be evacuated, Pfc. Burke, without hesitation, seized his machine gun and launched a series of 1-man assaults against the fortified emplacements. As he aggressively maneuvered to the edge of the steep river bank, he delivered accurate suppressive fire upon several enemy bunkers, which enabled his comrades to advance and move the wounded marines to positions of relative safety. As he continued his combative actions, he located an opposing automatic weapons emplacement and poured intense fire into the position, killing 3 North Vietnamese soldiers as they attempted to flee. Pfc. Burke then fearlessly moved from one position to another, quelling the hostile fire until his weapon malfunctioned. Obtaining a casualty's rifle and hand grenades, he advanced further into the midst of the enemy fire in an assault against another pocket of resistance, killing 2 more of the enemy. Observing that a fellow marine had cleared his malfunctioning machine gun he grasped his weapon and moved into a dangerously exposed area and saturated the hostile treeline until he fell mortally wounded. Pfc. Burke's gallant actions upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

GIBSON Guy Penrose: World War Two. 17 May 1943. Acting Wing Commander. Reserve of Air Force Officers, No. 617 Squadron. Citation: This officer served as a night bomber pilot at the beginning of the war and quickly established a reputation as an outstanding operational pilot. In addition to taking the fullest possible share in all normal operations, he made single-handed attacks during his "rest" nights on such highly defended objectives as the German battleship Tirpitz, then completing in Wilhelmshaven.

When his tour of operational duty was concluded, he asked for a further operational posting and went to a night-fighter unit instead of being posted for instructional duties. In the course of his second operational tour, he destroyed at least three enemy bombers and contributed much to the raising and development of new night-fighter formations.

After a short period in a training unit, he again volunteered for operational duties and returned to night bombers. Both as an operational pilot and as leader of his squadron, he achieved outstandingly successful results and his personal courage knew no bounds. Berlin, Cologne, Danzig, Gdynia, Genoa, Le Creusot, Milan, Nuremberg and Stuttgart were among the targets he attacked by day and by night.

On the conclusion of his third operational tour, Wing Commander Gibson pressed strongly to be allowed to remain on operations and he was selected to command a squadron then forming for special tasks. Under his inspiring leadership, this squadron has now executed one of the most devastating attacks of the war—the breaching of the Moehne and Eder dams.

The task was fraught with danger and difficulty. Wing Commander Gibson personally made the initial attack on the Moehne dam. Descending to within a few feet of the water and taking the full brunt of the antiaircraft defences, he delivered his attack with great accuracy. Afterwards he circled very low for 30 minutes, drawing the enemy fire on himself in order to leave as free a run as possible to the following aircraft which were attacking the dam in turn.

Wing Commander Gibson then led the remainder of his force to the Eder dam where, with complete disregard for his own safety, he repeated his tactics and once more drew on himself the enemy fire so that the attack could be successfully developed.
Wing Commander Gibson has completed over 170 sorties, involving more than 600 hours operational flying. Throughout his operational career, prolonged exceptionally at his own request, he has shown leadership, determination and valour of the highest order.

He would be killed in action on 19 September 1944.

Last supplemented on May 17, 2013.

[Calendar]

May 18

1631 Massachusetts Bay granted Puritans voting rights and John Winthrop was elected its first governor.

1642 Montreal was founded.

1775 Benedict Arnold captures British sloop and renames her Enterprise.

1798 Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Maj Gen, U.S., born.

1817 James William Denver, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1868 Nicholas II, the Czar, born.

1804 The French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte emperor.

1828 The Battle of Las Piedra sees Uruguay secure independence from Brazil.

1846 American troops capture Matamoros.

1860 The Republican Party convention in Chicago nominated Abraham Lincoln for president.

1861 Battle of Sewall's Point, Virginia.

1863 Siege of Vicksburg begins.

1864 Battle of Yellow Bayou/Bayou de Glaize/Old Oaks, La.

1871 The Kiowa Chief Satanta joins with other Indians to massacre a wagon train near the Red River in northeastern Texas.

1874 Captain F. Van Vliet, Company C, 3rd Cavalry, who was, at that time stationed at Ft. Fetterman, Wyoming, wrote the Adjutant General requesting that his company be transferred because there was "...no opportunity for procuring fresh vegetables, and gardens are a failure. There is no female society for enlisted men...the enlisted men of the company are leaving very much dissatisfied, as they look upon being held so long at this post as an unmerited punishment...whenever men get to the railroad there are some desertions caused by dread of returning to this post..."

Ft. Fetterman was a hardship post and had the highest rate of insanity in the Frontier Army.

1882. Ft. Sanders, near Laramie, abandoned. By this point in time those forts built principally to defend the Union Pacific railroad were no longer needed for multiple reasons, one being the ability of the railroad to transport troops.

1898 Wyoming volunteers for service in the Philippines boarded train for San Francisco.

1904 Raizuli kidnapped American Ion H. Perdicaris in Morocco.

During this week, in 1909, the local Casper newspaper reported:

"Ed Gill ... Skips Out and Leaves His Sick Wife.

"Ed Gill, the fakir, dead-beat and all 'round scallawag, who inflicted the citizens of Casper several years with his presence ... and who later joined Bill Cody's Wild West show, ... was married to a young lady at Scranton, Pa., about the first of the year, and last week, after raising a $10 check to $100, ... left his sick wife with numerous unpaid bills. ... (H)e met a great many tenderfeet in the east, and he told them a great cock-and-bull story of how he was a real live sheriff in Wyoming. ... (T)he only time he was sheriff was in his fertile brain when he was guzzling booze. ... His wife writes a most pitiful letter to the TRIBUNE, asking that we assist her to locate him. ... But when, if ever, the wife knows him as well as do the people of Casper, she will be tickled half to death that he has gone. ... He is not fit for any woman to waste tears over."

Seems that not everyone in the Wild West Show was a sterling character.

1911 Porfirio Diaz flees to Paris with gold and mistresses.

1917 The U.S. Congress passed the Selective Service act allowing for the conscription of soldiers.

1927 Sgt Maj Edwin Hughes, earlier Pvt, 13th Light Dragoons dies at age 96. He was the last survivor of "The Charge of the Light Brigade"

1933 The Tennessee Valley Authority was created.

1942 New York ended night baseball games for the rest of World War II.

1943 Germany commences the invasion of Italy.

1944 The Polish Corps pushes into Monte Cassino. The US 163rd Infantry Regiment lands on Insoemar Island and advances to capture Wadke airfield. The US 6th Army announces that the campaign in the Admiralty Islands has been completed.

1951 The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling for an embargo on the provision of strategic goods to China and North Korea.

1969 NVA and VC attack U.S. and ARVN camps near Xuan Loc.

1974 India detonates its first nuclear weapon.

2004 Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game at age 40.

2009 Sri Lanka's 25-year civil war ended.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

BEDDOWS, RICHARD: Civil War. Private, 34th New York Battery. Place and date: At Spotsylvania, Va., 18 May 1864. Citation: Brought his guidon off in safety under a heavy fire of musketry after he had lost it by his horse becoming furious from the bursting of a shell.

ENGLE, JAMES E.: Civil War. Sergeant, Company I, 97th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Bermuda Hundred, Va., 18 May 1864. Citation: Responded to a call for volunteers to carry ammunition to the regiment on the picket line and under a heavy fire from the enemy assisted in carrying a box of ammunition to the front and remained to distribute the same.

KINSEY, JOHN: Civil War. Corporal, Company B, 45th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Spotsylvania, Va., 18 May 1864. Citation: Seized the colors, the color bearer having been shot, and with great gallantry succeeded in saving them from capture.

WHITMAN, FRANK M.: Civil War. Private, Company G, 35th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Antietam, Md., 17 September 1862. At Spotsylvania, Va., 18 May 1864. Citation: Was among the last to leave the field at Antietam and was instrumental in saving the lives of several of his comrades at the imminent risk of his own. At Spotsylvania was foremost in line in the assault, where he lost a leg.

GRANDSTAFF, BRUCE ALAN: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Platoon Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry. Place and date: Pleiku Province, Republic of Vietnam, 18 May 1967. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. P/Sgt. Grandstaff distinguished himself while leading the Weapons Platoon, Company B, on a reconnaissance mission near the Cambodian border. His platoon was advancing through intermittent enemy contact when it was struck by heavy small arms and automatic weapons fire from 3 sides. As he established a defensive perimeter, P/Sgt. Grandstaff noted that several of his men had been struck down. He raced 30 meters through the intense fire to aid them but could only save 1. Denied freedom to maneuver his unit by the intensity of the enemy onslaught, he adjusted artillery to within 45 meters of his position. When helicopter gunships arrived, he crawled outside the defensive position to mark the location with smoke grenades. Realizing his first marker was probably ineffective, he crawled to another location and threw his last smoke grenade but the smoke did not penetrate the jungle foliage. Seriously wounded in the leg during this effort he returned to his radio and, refusing medical aid, adjusted the artillery even closer as the enemy advanced on his position. Recognizing the need for additional firepower, he again braved the enemy fusillade, crawled to the edge of his position and fired several magazines of tracer ammunition through the jungle canopy. He succeeded in designating the location to the gunships but this action again drew the enemy fire and he was wounded in the other leg. Now enduring intense pain and bleeding profusely, he crawled to within 10 meters of an enemy machine gun which had caused many casualties among his men. He destroyed the position with hand grenades but received additional wounds. Rallying his remaining men to withstand the enemy assaults, he realized his position was being overrun and asked for artillery directly on his location. He fought until mortally wounded by an enemy rocket. Although every man in the platoon was a casualty, survivors attest to the indomitable spirit and exceptional courage of this outstanding combat leader who inspired his men to fight courageously against overwhelming odds and cost the enemy heavy casualties. P/Sgt. Grandstaff's selfless gallantry, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

GUENETTE, PETER M.: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company D, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Quan Tan Uyen Province, Republic of Vietnam, 18 May 1968. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Guenette distinguished himself while serving as a machine gunner with Company D, during combat operations. While Sp4c. Guenette's platoon was sweeping a suspected enemy base camp, it came under light harassing fire from a well equipped and firmly entrenched squad of North Vietnamese Army regulars which was serving as a delaying force at the entrance to their base camp. As the platoon moved within 10 meters of the fortified positions, the enemy fire became intense. Sp4c. Guenette and his assistant gunner immediately began to provide a base of suppressive fire, ceasing momentarily to allow the assistant gunner time to throw a grenade into a bunker. Seconds later, an enemy grenade was thrown to Sp4c. Guenette's right flank. Realizing that the grenade would kill or wound at least 4 men and destroy the machine gun, he shouted a warning and smothered the grenade with his body, absorbing its blast. Through his actions, he prevented loss of life or injury to at least 3 men and enabled his comrades to maintain their fire superiority. By his gallantry at the cost of his life in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, Sp4c. Guenette has reflected great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

STEWART, JIMMY G.: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 18 May 1966. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Early in the morning a reinforced North Vietnamese company attacked Company B, which was manning a defensive perimeter in Vietnam. The surprise onslaught wounded 5 members of a 6-man squad caught in the direct path of the enemy's thrust. S/Sgt. Stewart became a lone defender of vital terrain--virtually 1 man against a hostile platoon. Refusing to take advantage of a lull in the firing which would have permitted him to withdraw, S/Sgt. Stewart elected to hold his ground to protect his fallen comrades and prevent an enemy penetration of the company perimeter. As the full force of the platoon-sized man attack struck his lone position, he fought like a man possessed; emptying magazine after magazine at the determined, on-charging enemy. The enemy drove almost to his position and hurled grenades, but S/Sgt. Stewart decimated them by retrieving and throwing the grenades back. Exhausting his ammunition, he crawled under intense fire to his wounded team members and collected ammunition that they were unable to use. Far past the normal point of exhaustion, he held his position for 4 harrowing hours and through 3 assaults, annihilating the enemy as they approached and before they could get a foothold. As a result of his defense, the company position held until the arrival of a reinforcing platoon which counterattacked the enemy, now occupying foxholes to the left of S/Sgt. Stewart's position. After the counterattack, his body was found in a shallow enemy hole where he had advanced in order to add his fire to that of the counterattacking platoon. Eight enemy dead were found around his immediate position, with evidence that 15 others had been dragged away. The wounded whom he gave his life to protect, were recovered and evacuated. S/Sgt. Stewart's indomitable courage, in the face of overwhelming odds, stands as a tribute to himself and an inspiration to all men of his unit. His actions were in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and the Armed Forces of his country.

WAYRYNEN, DALE EUGENE: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 2d Battalion, 502d Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Quang Ngai, Province, Republic of Vietnam, 18 May 1967. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Wayrynen distinguished himself with Company B, during combat operations near Duc Pho. His platoon was assisting in the night evacuation of the wounded from an earlier enemy contact when the lead man of the unit met face to face with a Viet Cong soldier. The American's shouted warning also alerted the enemy who immediately swept the area with automatic weapons fire from a strongly built bunker close to the trail and threw hand grenades from another nearby fortified position. Almost immediately, the lead man was wounded and knocked from his feet. Sp4c. Wayrynen, the second man in the formation, leaped beyond his fallen comrade to kill another enemy soldier who appeared on the trail, and he dragged his injured companion back to where the point squad had taken cover. Suddenly, a live enemy grenade landed in the center of the tightly grouped men. Sp4c. Wayrynen, quickly assessing the danger to the entire squad as well as to his platoon leader who was nearby, shouted a warning, pushed one soldier out of the way, and threw himself on the grenade at the moment it exploded. He was mortally wounded. His deep and abiding concern for his fellow soldiers was significantly reflected in his supreme and courageous act that preserved the lives of his comrades. Sp4c. Wayrynen's heroic actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the service, and they reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

COULSON Gustavus Hamilton Blenkinsopp: Second Boer War. Posthumous award. Lieutenant. The Kings Own Scottish Borderers. 18 May 1901. Citation: This Officer during a rear-guard action, near Lambrecht Fontein, on the 18th of May, 1901, seeing Corporal Cranmer, 7th Mounted Infantry, dismounted, his horse having been shot, remained behind and took him up on his own horse. He rode a short distance, when the horse was shot, and both Lieutenant Coulson and the Corporal were brought to the ground. Lieutenant Coulson told Corporal Cranmer to get along with the wounded horse as best he could, and he would look after himself. Corporal Cranmer got on the horse and rode away to the column. No. 4792 Corporal Shaw (Lincolns), 7th Mounted Infantry, seeing Lieutenant Coulson's position of danger, rode back through the rear-guard, and took him up on his horse. A few minutes later Corporal Shaw was shot through the body, and there is reason to believe that Lieutenant Coulson was wounded also, as he fell off his horse. Corporal Shaw fell off a few minutes later. This Officer on many occasions throughout the Campaign displayed great coolness and gallantry under fire.

[b]SMYTH John George: World War One. Lieutenant. 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, 3rd (Lahore) Division, Indian Army. Citation: For most conspicuous bravery near Richebourg L'Avoue on 18 May 1915. With a bombing party of 10 men, who voluntarily undertook this duty, he conveyed a supply of 96 bombs to within 20 yards of the enemy's position over exceptionally dangerous ground, after the attempts of two other parties had failed. Lieutenant Smyth succeeded in taking the bombs to the desired position with the aid of two of his men (the other eight having been killed or wounded), and to effect his purpose he had to swim a stream, being exposed the whole time to howitzer, shrapnel, machine-gun and rifle fire.

SEPHTON Alfred Edward: World War Two. Posthumous award. Petty Officer. Royal Navy. Citation: On 18 May 1941 in the Mediterranean, south of Crete, Petty Officer Sephton was a director layer on HMS Coventry when she went to the assistance of a hospital ship which was being attacked by German dive-bombers. When the enemy engaged Coventry, raking her with machine-gun fire, Petty Officer Sephton was mortally wounded, a bullet actually passing through his body and injuring an able seaman beside him. Although in great pain and partially blinded, nevertheless he stuck to his instruments and carried out his duties until the attack was over. He died of his injuries next day.

Last supplemented on May 18, 2012.

[Couvi]

1864 Battle of Yellow Bayou/Bayou de Glaize/Old Oaks, La.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yellow_Bayou Also called the “Battle at Norwood’s Plantation.” This is about two miles north of my hometown of Simmesport, LA. My great-grandfather, Pierre Elphege Couvillion, a connoneer on a 6-PDR Gun in the 2nd Battery, Louisiana Light Artillery (Boone’s Battery) manned one of the 30-PDR Parrott Rifles that had been taken from the USS Indianola.

John Fitzgerald wrote:1871 The Kiowa Chief Satanta joins with other Indians to massacre a wagon train near the Red River in northeastern Texas.

This gentleman had a reputation for being somewhat . . . difficult!

[Trooper]

John Fitzgerald wrote:1871 The Kiowa Chief Satanta joins with other Indians to massacre a wagon train near the Red River in northeastern Texas.

This gentleman had a reputation for being somewhat . . . difficult!

"WARREN WAGONTRAIN RAID. In 1871 William Tecumseh Sherman, visited Texas to investigate complaints against Indians from the Fort Sill Reservation. The government had attempted to insure Indian containment by encircling the Indian Territory with a ring of defensive forts and allowing the Society of Friends to manage the Indian agencies, but neither approach had worked. Sherman left San Antonio on May 2, 1871, accompanied by Maj. Randolph B. Marcy, inspector-general of the army, two aides, and seventeen mounted black troopers of the Tenth Infantry. He traveled north through forts Concho, Griffin, and Belknap, and by May 17 reached Fort Richardson, the northernmost outpost on the Texas frontier. The party had seen no Indians, and Sherman was convinced that the Texans' reports were unjustified. On May 15 over a hundred Kiowas, Comanches, Kiowa-Apaches, Arapahoes, and Cheyennes from the Fort Sill Reservation crossed the Red River into Texas. Satank (Sitting Bear), Satanta (White Bear), Addo-etta (Big Treeqv), and Maman-ti (Skywalker) were the leaders. On May 16 the war party reached Flint Creek on the Salt Creek Prairie in Young County, eight miles east of Salt Creek and twenty miles west of Fort Richardson. The next day they allowed General Sherman's small column to pass unmolested not a half-mile from their hidden position. Indian informants later testified that Maman-ti's magic had predicted that an attack on the second group of whites to pass would be successful. Historians have speculated that the Indians recognized the first party as soldiers and decided to await a less well-armed prey. On May 18 the Indians attacked a wagon train belonging to a freighting contractor named Henry Warren traveling on the Butterfield Overland Mail route. They killed the wagon master and six teamsters and allowed five to escape. The Indians suffered one dead and five wounded. They immediately returned to the reservation. One of the escaped teamsters, Thomas Brazeal, reached Fort Richardson late that evening, where he told his story to Sherman and Col. Ranald Slidell Mackenzie, the post commander. Sherman ordered Mackenzie to pursue the Indians with three companies of his Fourth Cavalry. Sherman then traveled on to Fort Sill where, on May 27 he personally arrested Satank, Satanta, and Big Tree in a tense confrontation on the front porch of the Fort Sill commandant. Sherman ordered that the three prisoners be returned to Fort Richardson and tried for murder in the civil courts in nearby Jacksboro. On June 8, while being transported to Texas, Satank tried to escape and was killed. On July 5 and 6 Satanta and Big Tree were tried separately, found guilty, and sentenced to hang. This was the first time Indians had been tried in civil courts. Supporters of the Quaker peace policy convinced Governor Edmund J. Davis to commute the Indians' sentences to life imprisonment. Then in October 1873 they were paroled. The Warren Wagontrain raid was not the most destructive of Texas Indian raids, but none held more significance for the future of the Plains Indians. It caused General Sherman to change his opinion about conditions on the Texas frontier, which signaled the end for his own defensive policy and the Quaker peace policy as well. Sherman ordered soldiers to begin offensive operations against all Indians found off the reservation, a policy which culminated in the Red River War of 1874–75 and the cessation of Indian raids in North Texas."
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/onli ... cles/btw03

"Indian version":
http://www.okgenweb.org/~okmurray/Murra ... acre02.htm

"White Man's version":
http://archive.is/gGn8