Today in the history of mounted warfare

[Calendar]

June 18

618 Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang Dynasty rule over China.

806 Charlemagne mobilizes an army against the Sorbs from his location in Alsatia. The Sorbs remained as a identifiable ethnic group in Germany even today, although they are small in numbers.

1155 Frederick I Barbarossa crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

1178 Five Canterbury monks see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon's distance from the Earth are a result of this collision.

1264 The Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first known meeting of this Irish legislature.

1291 King Jaime II of Sicily ascends the throne of Aragon.

1429 French forces under the leadership of Joan d'Arc defeat the English army under sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay.

1603 Samuel de Champlain leaves Quebec with Grave du Pont to go on an exploring trip up the 'River of Canada' - the St. Lawrence and finds that the Algonkians have taken over from the Iroquois as the dominant tribe since the arrival of Jacques Cartier 80 years earlier.

1778 British evacuate Philadelphia

1812 The United States declared war against Britain.


Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

June 18, 1815 Waterloo

And because sartorial matters always generate a lot of interest with members:

On the 18th of June 1823, the British infantry soldier first appeared in trousers, in lieu of other nether garments. The changes in military costume had been very gradual, marking the slowness with which novelties are sanctioned at head-quarters. When the regiments of the line first began to be formed, about two centuries ago, the dress of the officers and men partook somewhat of the general character of civil costume in the reign of Charles II. We have now before us a series of coloured engravings, showing the chief changes in uniform from that time to the beginning of the present century. Under the year 1685, the 11th foot are represented in full breeches, coloured stockings, and high shoes. Under date 1688, the 7th and 5th foot appear in green breeches of somewhat less amplitude, white stockings, and high shoes. Under 1692, the 1st royals and the 10th foot are shewn in red breeches and stockings; while another regiment appears in high boots coming up over blue breeches. In 1742, various regiments appear in purple, blue, and red breeches, white leggings or gaiters up to the thigh, and a purple garter under the knee. This dress is shewn very frequently in Hogarth's pictures. In 1759, the foot-soldiers shewn in the 'Death of General Wolfe' have a sort of knee-cap covering the breeches and gaiters. In 1793, the 87th foot are represented in tight green pantaloons and Hessian boots. During the great wars in the early part of the present century, pantaloons were sometimes worn, breeches at others, but gaiters or leggings in almost every instance.
The reform which took place in 1823 was announced in a Horse Guards' order, when the Duke of York was commander-in-chief. The order stated that 'His Majesty has been pleased to approve of the discontinuance of breeches, leggings, and shoes, as part of the clothing of the infantry soldiers; and of blue grey cloth trousers and half-boots being substituted.' After adverting to the deposit of patterns and the issue of supplies, the order makes provision for the very curious anomaly that used to mark the clothing system of the British army. 'In order to indemnify the colonels for the additional expense they will in consequence incur, the waistcoat hitherto provided with the clothing will be considered as an article of necessaries to be provided by the soldier; who, being relieved from the long and short gaiters, and also from the stoppage hitherto made in aid of the extra expense of the trousers (in all cases where such have been allowed to be furnished as part of the clothing of regiments), and being moreover supplied with articles of a description calculated to last longer than the breeches and shoes now used, cannot fail to be benefited by the above arrangement.' Non-professional readers may well be puzzled by the complexity of this announcement.
The truth is, that until Lord Herbert of Lea (better known as Mr. Sidney Herbert) became Secretary of State for War, a double deception was practised on the rank and file of the British army, little creditable to the nation. The legislature voted annually, for the clothing of the troops, a sum much larger than was actually applied to that purpose; and the same legislature, by a similarly animal vote, gave about a shilling a day to each private soldier as pay, the greater part of which was anything but pay to him. In the first place, the colonel of each regiment had an annual allowance for clothing his men, with a well-understood agreement that he was to be permitted to purchase the clothing at a much lower rate, and put the balance in his own pocket.
This balance usually varied from £600 to £1000 per annum, and was one of the prizes that made the 'clothing colonels' of regiments so much envied by their less fortunate brother-officers. In the second place, although the soldiers received their shilling a day, or thereabouts, as pay, so many deductions were made for the minor articles of sustenance and clothing, that only about fourpence remained at the actual disposal of each man. The two anomalies are brought into conjunction in a singular way in the above-quoted order, in reference to the soldier's waist-coat; the colonel was to be relieved from buying that said garment, and the poor soldier was to add the waistcoat to the number of 'necessaries' which he was to provide out of his slender pay. The miseries attendant on the Crimean war, by awaking public attention to the condition of the soldiers, led to the abandonment of the 'clothing colonel' system.
(thanks to Chambers' Book of Days)

"...It's cheap to mock the uniforms that guard you whilst you sleep.
It's cheaper than them uniforms, and they're starvation cheap..."
From memory, with apologies to Kipling - and Tommy.

Waterloo's remained an enduring memory in Western culture, showing how significant it really was. So much so, that it's been incorporated into the venacular, and at least when I was a kid you'd still hear about people "meeting their Waterloo". I haven't heard that phrase for quite a while now, but the phrase was common enough that Waterloo itself showed up in at least three popular songs.

Waterloo, by Stonewall Jackson

Every puppy has his day everybody has to pay everybody has to meet his Waterloo

Now ol' Adam was the first in history with an apple he was tempted and deceived
Just for spite the devil made him take a bite
And that's where ol' Adam met his Waterloo
Waterloo Waterloo...Every puppy has his day everybody has to pay everybody has to meet his Waterloo


Now a feller who's darling proved untrue took her life but he lost his too
Now he swings where the little birdie sings
And that's where Tom Dooley met his Waterloo
Waterloo Waterloo...Every puppy has his day everybody has to pay everybody has to meet his Waterloo


Little General Napoleon of France tried to conquer the world but lost his pants
Met defeat known as Bonaparte's retreat and that's where Napoleon met his Waterloo
Waterloo Waterloo...Every puppy has his day everybody has to pay everybody has to meet his Waterloo

That song refers to Bonaparte's Retreat, which is another old country song.

Met the man I love
In a town way down in Dixie
'Neath the stars above
He was the sweetest man you ever did see
When he held me in his arms
And told me of my many charms
He kissed me while the fiddles played
The Bonaparte's Retreat

All the world was bright
When he held me on that night
And I heard him say
"Please don't ever go away"
When he held me in his arms
And told me of my many charms
He kissed me while the fiddles played
The Bonaparte's Retreat

[Musical Interlude]

When he held me in his arms
And told me of my many charms
He kissed me while the fiddles played
The Bonaparte's Retreat

All the world was bright
When he held me on that night
And I heard him say
"Please don't you go away"

He's gone and I'll admit I knew
That I had met my Waterloo
I knew that he would say ado
With Bonaparte's Retreat

Good-bye little boy
Good-bye little joy
Good-bye little boy
So long little joy

Waterloo was revived more recently as a musical theme by the Swedish pop band ABBA.

Waterloo, by ABBA:

My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender
Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way
The history book on the shelf
Is always repeating itself

Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to
Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you
Waterloo - finally facing my waterloo

My my, I tried to hold you back but you were stronger
Oh yeah, and now it seems my only chance is giving up the fight
And how could I ever refuse
I feel like I win when I lose

Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to
Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you

And how could I ever refuse
I feel like I win when I lose

Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to
Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you
Waterloo - finally facing my Waterloo

Finally, there's a Waterloo Sunset by the Kinks, but I think it refers to a railroad station.

Dirty old river, must you keep rolling
Flowing into the night
People so busy, makes me feel dizzy
Taxi light shines so bright
But I don't need no friends
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset
I am in paradise

Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunsets fine

Terry meets Julie, Waterloo station
Every Friday night
But I am so lazy, don't want to wander
I stay at home at night
But I don't feel afraid
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset
I am in paradise

Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunsets fine

Millions of people swarming like flies round Waterloo underground
But terry and Julie cross over the river
Where they feel safe and sound
And the don't need no friends
As long as they gaze on Waterloo sunset
They are in paradise

I will depart this afternoon to the plateau of Mont-St.Jean/Waterloo to visit the cermonie of the battle.

The Belgian 8th Hussars counterattacking French cavalry during the cavalry charges in the afternoon, from a new book over the Dutch/Belgian cavalry at Waterloo.
http://www.dutch-belgian-cavalry-waterloo.nl/index.htm




Jan

I will depart this afternoon to the plateau of Mont-St.Jean/Waterloo to visit the cermonie of the battle.

If you take some photos, please share!

[/quote]

1817 Waterloo Bridge over the Thames in London opens.

1823 The British Army adopts trousers for infantry, in lieu of breeches.

1830 French invade Algeria.

1839 William Henry Seward Jr, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1859 Captain W. F. Raynolds' expedition set out from Fort Pierre, SD, to explore the upper Yellowstone, Gallatin, and Madison Rivers.

1873 Suffragist Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.

1877 James Montgomery Flagg, illustrator ("Uncle Sam wants you!"), born.



1900 Empress Tsu-tse orders the Boxers to expel foreigners from China.

1910 Ticker tape parade on Broadway for Theodore Roosevelt, on his return from Africa.

1918 Allied forces on the Western Front began large counter-attack against the German army.

1928 Aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

1940 Canada announces compulsory military training for home defense.

1940 RAF's 242 'Canadian' Squadron withdraws from France.

1942 Dr. Bernard Whitfield Robinson becomes the first black officer in the U. S. Navy.

1944 Battle of Monte Cassino in Central Italy ended.

1945 Lt Gen Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr, Commander, Tenth Army, Killed in Action onOkinawa at age 58.

1948 The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted the International Declaration of Human Rights.

1948 Columbia Records unveiled its new long-playing, 33 1/3 rpm phonograph record.

1979 President Jimmy Carter and Soviet President Leonid I. Brezhnev signed the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna.

1980 The Chinese successfully launched their first test ICBM, which traveled 6200 miles.
.
2004 European Union leaders agreed on the first constitution for the bloc's 25 members.

[b]Congressional Medals of Honor for action on this day:

CLARK, JAMES G.: Private, Company F, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 18 June 1864. Citation: Distinguished bravery in action; was severely wounded.

LEONARD, EDWIN: Sergeant, Company I, 37th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: Near Petersburg, Va., 18 June 1864. Citation: Voluntarily exposed himself to the fire of a Union brigade to stop their firing on the Union skirmish line.

LUDWIG, CARL: Private, 34th New York Battery. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 18 June 1864. tation: As gunner of his piece, inflicted singly a great loss upon the enemy and distinguished himself in the removal of the piece while under a heavy fire.

MOSTOLLER, JOHN W.: Private, Company B, 54th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Lynchburg, Va., 18 June 1864. Citation: Voluntarily led a charge on a Confederate battery (the officers of the company being disabled) and compelled its hasty removal.

Last Supplemented on Monday, June 18, 2012.

[Calendar]

June 19

Today is Juneteenth in some US localities, a day commemorating the arrival of the news of emancipation.

325 Promulgation of the "Nicene Creed" during the Council of Nicaea.

1179 The Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros. Earl Erling Skakke is killed, and the battle changes the tide of the civil wars.

1586 English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island, N.C. after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in America.

1610 Samuel de Champlain defeats the Iroquois in a battle near the mouth of the Richelieu River.

1647 James, Duke of Ormond, agrees to surrender Dublin to English Parliament.

1776 Guy Carleton, Baron Dorchester gives Sir John Johnson a Royal Warrant to raise a regiment of American loyalists in Canada.

1778 Washington's troops leave Valley Forge.

1786 Gen. Nathanael Greene died of sunstroke at his Georgia plantation.

1816 Rupert's Land Governor Robert Semple intercepts Cuthbert Grant and Metis party transporting pemmican. The Metis kill Semple and 19 of his men in the ensuing Seven Oaks Massacre on the Frog Plain near Fort Douglas.

1829 In London the Metropolitan Police Act receives royal assent, establishing a paid, uniformed police for London.

1841 Sir George Arthur French organizer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, born in Roscommon Ireland.

1862 Slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.

1867 Maximillian, Emperor of Mexico, assassinated in Queretaro, Mexico.

June 19

1868 - Attempting to convince hostile Indians to make peace with the United States, the Jesuit missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet meets with the great Sioux Chief Sitting Bull in present-day Montana. A native of Belgium, De Smet came to the United States in 1821 at the age of 20. He became a novitiate of the Jesuit order in Maryland and was subsequently ordained in St. Louis. As a priest, De Smet's ambition was to be a missionary to the Native Americans of the Far West. In 1838, he was sent to proselytize among the Potawatomi villages near today's Council Bluffs, Iowa. There, he met a delegation of Flathead Indians who had come east seeking a "black robe" whom they hoped might be able to bring the power of the Christian god to aid their tribe. During the 1840s, De Smet made several trips to work with the Flathead in present-day western Montana. He established a thriving mission and eventually secured a peace treaty with the Flathead's previously irreconcilable enemy, the Blackfeet. A genuine friend to the Native Americans, De Smet earned a reputation as a white man who could be trusted to fairly negotiate disputes between Indians and the American government. During the 1860s, such disputes became increasingly common in the West, where Plains Indians like the Sioux and Cheyenne resisted the growing flood of white settlers invading their territories. The U.S. government began to demand that all the Plains Indians relocate to reservations. Leaders in the American government and military hoped the relocation could be achieved through negotiations, but they were also perfectly willing to use violence to force the Indians to comply. One of the principal leaders of the so-called "hostile" Indians that resisted relocation was the great Chief of the Teton Sioux, Sitting Bull. In May 1868, the federal government asked De Smet to meet with Sitting Bull to negotiate a peace treaty. The 67-year-old De Smet agreed to try, and on this day in 1868, he met with Sitting Bull at his camp along the Powder River in present-day Montana. Although tensions were high, Sitting Bull had promised to meet De Smet with "arms stretched out, ready to embrace him." Lest any hotheaded young brave do something foolish, Sitting Bull first talked with De Smet in his own lodge in order to ensure the priest's safety. The next day, De Smet met with a council that included other chiefs. De Smet was not able to convince Sitting Bull personally to sign a peace treaty. However, the chief did agree to send one of his lesser chiefs to Fort Laramie, Wyoming, to sign a treaty in which the Sioux agreed to allow white travel and settlement in specified areas. Although Sitting Bull himself had not agreed to the treaty, the negotiations were a triumph for De Smet. As one historian later noted, "No White Man has ever come close to equaling his universal appeal to the Indian." De Smet spent the remaining five years of his life continuing to work for peace with the Plains Indians. Through his books and speaking tours, he also attempted to bring a sympathetic portrait of the Indians to an American public that tended to think of Indians as bloodthirsty savages. Ultimately, however, De Smet was unable to stop the tragic Plains Indian War that eventually forced Sitting Bull and other Indians to leave their homes and move to government-controlled reservations. De Smet died in St. Louis in 1873, three years before Sitting Bull won his greatest victory in his war with the United States at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Quoted from: http://tdiumh.blogspot.com/2005/06/june-19.html

Nice synopsis.

Father DeSmet is recalled today in Wyoming, one of the areas in which he traveled, by way of a popular lake bearing his name, Lake DeSmet.

1886 Cornerstone laid for the Union Pacific Depot in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
http://patsrailhead.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... depot.html

1888 Marines landed in Korea and marched 25 miles to protect the Seoul Legation.

1890 Ho Chi Minh born in French Indo China.

1903 Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig was born in New York City.

1910 Father's Day was celebrated for the first time, in Spokane, Wash.

1916 Orders were received in Wyoming from the War Department to mobilize two battalions of the Wyoming National Guard for border service. On September 28th, the troops departed for the Mexican border.

1917 King George V changed the British royal family's German-sounding surname, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, to Windsor.

1918 Canadian airman and former cavalryman Billy Bishop shoots down five German planes in his last dogfight, bringing his total enemy kills to 72.

1933 Austrian Premier Dollfuss bans Nazi-organizations.

1934 The Federal Communications Commission was created.

1936 Max Schmeling knocks out Joe Louis in New York.

1937 Spanish Nationalists capture Bilbao from the Republicans.

1940 Reichmarshall Goring orders seizure of Dutch horses, cars, buses, and ships.

1942 U.S. submarine S-27 lost by grounding in the Aleutians.

1944 Battle of the Philippine Sea commences.

1944 French troops free Elba from the Germans.

1947 An F-80 becomes the first plane to exceed 600 mph.

1948 USSR blocks access to West-Berlin.

1953 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are put to death in the electric chair.

1961 Kuwait declares independence from the United Kingdom.

1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved after an 83-day filibuster in the U.S. Senate.

1967 Muhammad Ali is convicted of refusing induction into the Army.

Congressional Medals of Honor for action on this day:

AHEAM, MICHAEL: Paymaster's Steward, U.S. Navy. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Carrying out his duties courageously, PmS. Aheam exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended by his divisional officer for gallantry under enemy fire.

BICKFORD, JOHN F.: Captain of the Top, U.S. Navy. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as the first loader of the pivot gun during this bitter engagement Bickford exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by his divisional officer.

BOND, WILLIAM: Boatswain's Mate, U.S. Navy. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Carrying out his duties courageously, Bond exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by his divisional officer.

HALEY, JAMES. Captain of the Forecastle, U.S. Navy. Born: 1824, Ireland. Accredited to. Ohio. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as captain of the forecastle on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as captain of a gun during the bitter engagement, Haley exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly commended by his division officer for his gallantry and meritorious achievement under enemy fire.

HAM, MARK G.: Carpenter's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 1820, Portsmouth, N.H. Accredited to: New Hampshire. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Performing his duties intelligently and faithfully, Ham distinguished himself in the face of the bitter enemy fire and was highly commended by his divisional officer.

HARRISON, GEORGE H.: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1842, Massachusetts. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No. 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as sponger and loader of the 11-inch pivot gun during the bitter engagement, Harrison exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by the divisional officer.

HAYES, JOHN: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1831, Philadelphia, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as second captain of the No. 2 gun during this bitter engagement, Hayes exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by the divisional officer.

LEE, JAMES H.: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1840, New York. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as seaman on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as sponger of the No. 1 gun during this bitter engagement, Lee exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by the divisional officer.

MOORE, CHARLES: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Entered service at: 25 March 1862, Gibraltar, England. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as seaman on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as sponger and loader of the 1 l_inch pivot gun of the second division during this bitter engagement, Moore exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by the divisional officer.

PEASE, JOACHIM: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: Long Island, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as seaman on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as loader on the No. 2 gun during this bitter engagement, Pease exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended by the divisional officer for gallantry under fire.

PERRY, THOMAS: Boatswain's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 1836 New York. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as boatswain's mate on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as captain of the No. 2 gun during this bitter engagement, Perry exhibited marked coolness and good conduct under the enemy fire and was recommended for gallantry by his divisional officer.

POOLE, WILLIAM B.: Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1833 Maine. Accredited to: Maine. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Service as quartermaster on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Stationed at the helm, Poole steered the ship during the engagement in a cool and most creditable manner and was highly commended by his divisional officer for his gallantry under fire.

READ, CHARLES A.: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1837, Sweden Accredited to: Ohio. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as coxswain on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as the first sponger of the pivot gun during this bitter engagement, Read exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by his divisional officer.

READ, GEORGE E.: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1838, Rhode Island. Accredited to: Rhode Island. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864 Citation: Served as seaman on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as the first loader of the No. 2 gun during this bitter engagement, Read exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by his divisional officer.

SAUNDERS, JAMES: Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1809, Massachusetts. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 59, 22 June 1865. Citation: Served as quartermaster on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Carrying out his duties courageously throughout the bitter engagement, Saunders was prompt in reporting damages done to both ships, and it is testified to by Commodore Winslow that he is deserving of all commendation, both for gallantry and for encouragement of others in his division.

SMITH, WILLIAM: Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1838, Ireland. Accredited to: New Hampshire. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as second quartermaster on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as captain of the 11-inch pivot gun of the second division, Smith carried out his duties courageously and deserved special notice for the deliberate and cool manner in which he acted throughout the bitter engagement. It is stated by rebel officers that this gun was more destructive and did more damage than any other gun of Kearsarge.

STRAHAN, ROBERT: Captain of the Top, U.S. Navy. Birth: New Jersey. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Accredited to: New Jersey. Citation: Served as captain of the top on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, 19 June 1864. Acting as captain of the No. 1 gun, Strahan carried out his duties in the face of heavy enemy fire and exhibited marked coolness and good conduct throughout the engagement. Strahan was highly recommended by his division officer for his gallantry and meritorious achievements.

BAKER, THOMAS A.: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division. Place and date: Saipan, Mariana Islands, 19 June to 7 July 1944. Entered service at: Troy, N.Y. Birth: Troy, N.Y. G.O. No.: 35, 9 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Saipan, Mariana Islands, 19 June to 7 July 1944. When his entire company was held up by fire from automatic weapons and small-arms fire from strongly fortified enemy positions that commanded the view of the company, Sgt. (then Pvt.) Baker voluntarily took a bazooka and dashed alone to within 100 yards of the enemy. Through heavy rifle and machinegun fire that was directed at him by the enemy, he knocked out the strong point, enabling his company to assault the ridge. Some days later while his company advanced across the open field flanked with obstructions and places of concealment for the enemy, Sgt. Baker again voluntarily took up a position in the rear to protect the company against surprise attack and came upon 2 heavily fortified enemy pockets manned by 2 officers and 10 enlisted men which had been bypassed. Without regard for such superior numbers, he unhesitatingly attacked and killed all of them. Five hundred yards farther, he discovered 6 men of the enemy who had concealed themselves behind our lines and destroyed all of them. On 7 July 1944, the perimeter of which Sgt. Baker was a part was attacked from 3 sides by from 3,000 to 5,000 Japanese. During the early stages of this attack, Sgt. Baker was seriously wounded but he insisted on remaining in the line and fired at the enemy at ranges sometimes as close as 5 yards until his ammunition ran out. Without ammunition and with his own weapon battered to uselessness from hand-to-hand combat, he was carried about 50 yards to the rear by a comrade, who was then himself wounded. At this point Sgt. Baker refused to be moved any farther stating that he preferred to be left to die rather than risk the lives of any more of his friends. A short time later, at his request, he was placed in a sitting position against a small tree . Another comrade, withdrawing, offered assistance. Sgt. Baker refused, insisting that he be left alone and be given a soldier's pistol with its remaining 8 rounds of ammunition. When last seen alive, Sgt. Baker was propped against a tree, pistol in hand, calmly facing the foe. Later Sgt. Baker's body was found in the same position, gun empty, with 8 Japanese lying dead before him. His deeds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.

McCAMPBELL, DAVID: Commander, U.S. Navy, Air Group 15. Place and date: First and second battles of the Philippine Sea, 19 June 1944. Entered service at: Florida. Born: 16 January 1 910, Bessemer, Ala. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Gold Stars, Air Medal. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commander, Air Group 15, during combat against enemy Japanese aerial forces in the first and second battles of the Philippine Sea. An inspiring leader, fighting boldly in the face of terrific odds, Comdr. McCampbell led his fighter planes against a force of 80 Japanese carrier-based aircraft bearing down on our fleet on 19 June 1944. Striking fiercely in valiant defense of our surface force, he personally destroyed 7 hostile planes during this single engagement in which the outnumbering attack force was utterly routed and virtually annihilated. During a major fleet engagement with the enemy on 24 October, Comdr. McCampbell, assisted by but l plane, intercepted and daringly attacked a formation of 60 hostile land-based craft approaching our forces. Fighting desperately but with superb skill against such overwhelming airpower, he shot down 9 Japanese planes and, completely disorganizing the enemy group, forced the remainder to abandon the attack before a single aircraft could reach the fleet. His great personal valor and indomitable spirit of aggression under extremely perilous combat conditions reflect the highest credit upon Comdr. McCampbell and the U.S. Naval Service.

MEAGHER, JOHN: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 305th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Ozato, Okinawa, 19 June 1945. Entered service at: Jersey City, N.J. Birth: Jersey City, N.J. G.O. No.: 60, 26 June 1946. Citation: He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. In the heat of the fight, he mounted an assault tank, and, with bullets splattering about him, designated targets to the gunner. Seeing an enemy soldier carrying an explosive charge dash for the tank treads, he shouted fire orders to the gunner, leaped from the tank, and bayoneted the charging soldier. Knocked unconscious and his rifle destroyed, he regained consciousness, secured a machinegun from the tank, and began a furious 1-man assault on the enemy. Firing from his hip, moving through vicious crossfire that ripped through his clothing, he charged the nearest pillbox, killing 6. Going on amid the hail of bullets and grenades, he dashed for a second enemy gun, running out of ammunition just as he reached the position. He grasped his empty gun by the barrel and in a violent onslaught killed the crew. By his fearless assaults T/Sgt. Meagher single-handedly broke the enemy resistance, enabling his platoon to take its objective and continue the advance.

LASSEN, CLYDE EVERETT: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, Helicopter Support Squadron 7, Detachment 104, embarked in U.S.S. Preble (DLG-15). place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 19 June 1968. Entered service at: Jacksonville, Fla. Born: 14 March 1942, Fort Myers, Fla. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as pilot and aircraft commander of a search and rescue helicopter, attached to Helicopter Support Squadron 7, during operations against enemy forces in North Vietnam. Launched shortly after midnight to attempt the rescue of 2 downed aviators, Lt. (then Lt. (J.G.)) Lassen skillfully piloted his aircraft over unknown and hostile terrain to a steep, tree-covered hill on which the survivors had been located. Although enemy fire was being directed at the helicopter, he initially landed in a clear area near the base of the hill, but, due to the dense undergrowth, the survivors could not reach the helicopter. With the aid of flare illumination, Lt. Lassen successfully accomplished a hover between 2 trees at the survivors' position Illumination was abruptly lost as the last of the flares were expended, and the helicopter collided with a tree, commencing a sharp descent. Expertly righting his aircraft and maneuvering clear, Lt. Lassen remained in the area, determined to make another rescue attempt, and encouraged the downed aviators while awaiting resumption of flare illumination. After another unsuccessful, illuminated rescue attempt, and with his fuel dangerously low and his aircraft significantly damaged, he launched again and commenced another approach in the face of the continuing enemy opposition. When flare illumination was again lost, Lt. Lassen, fully aware of the dangers in clearly revealing his position to the enemy, turned on his landing lights and completed the landing. On this attempt, the survivors were able to make their way to the helicopter. En route to the coast he encountered and successfully evaded additional hostile antiaircraft fire and, with fuel for only 5 minutes of flight remaining, landed safely aboard U.S.S. Jouett (DLG-29) .

RAY, RONALD ERIC: Captain (then 1st Lt.), U.S. Army, Company A, 2d Battalion, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 19 June 1966. Entered service at: Atlanta, Ga. Born: 7 December 1941, Cordelle, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Ray distinguished himself while serving as a platoon leader with Company A. When 1 of his ambush patrols was attacked by an estimated reinforced Viet Cong company, Capt. Ray organized a reaction force and quickly moved through 2 kilometers of mountainous jungle terrain to the contact area. After breaking through the hostile lines to reach the beleaguered patrol, Capt. Ray began directing the reinforcement of the site. When an enemy position pinned down 3 of his men with a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire, he silenced the emplacement with a grenade and killed 4 Viet Cong with his rifle fire. As medics were moving a casualty toward a sheltered position, they began receiving intense hostile fire. While directing suppressive fire on the enemy position, Capt. Ray moved close enough to silence the enemy with a grenade. A few moments later Capt. Ray saw an enemy grenade land, unnoticed, near 2 of his men. Without hesitation or regard for his safety he dove between the grenade and the men, thus shielding them from the explosion while receiving wounds in his exposed feet and legs. He immediately sustained additional wounds in his legs from an enemy machinegun, but nevertheless he silenced the emplacement with another grenade. Although suffering great pain from his wounds, Capt. Ray continued to direct his men, providing the outstanding courage and leadership they vitally needed, and prevented their annihilation by successfully leading them from their surrounded position. Only after assuring that his platoon was no longer in immediate danger did he allow himself to be evacuated for medical treatment. By his gallantry at the risk of his life in the highest traditions of the military service, Capt. Ray has reflected great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

[Calendar]

June 20

Today is the First Day of Summer for Leap Years.

Today is Midsummer's Eve;

An Irish poem, for which, in times past young women in Ireland gathered yarrow with this rhyme:

Good morrow, good yarrow, good morrow to thee
Send me this night my true love to see
The clothes he'll wear, the color of his hair
And if he to me, we will marry.

451 In the Battle of Chalons Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun. The battle is inconclusive but Attila withdraws.

1210 King John lands at Waterford.

1214 The University of Oxford receives its charter.

1389 Ottoman sultan Murad I defeats the Serbs at the Battle of Kosovo.

1402 Battle of Angora in which the Mongols defeat the Ottomans.

1605 Czar Feodor II of Russia, age 16, was assassinated.

1631 The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates.

1631 The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates.

Pat,

I thought you made this up!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Baltimore

There's a great historical novel in this story somewhere.

I had never heard of this either. Interesting coincidence to find mention of it only this morning while reading "The Warrior's Path" by Louis L'Amour.

Frank

I've never read a L'Amour book. What does The Warrior's Path portray?

1675 Abenaki, Massachusetts, Mohegan and Wampanoag Indians formed an anti English alliance. Wampanoag warriors attacked livestock and looted farms.

1685 Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville captures Fort Monsipi from the English.

1756 Nawab of Bengal Siraj Ud Daulah imprisons 146 Europeans in the 'Black Hole of Calcutta'. Only 23 survive.

1763 Theobald Wolf Tone born.

1782 Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States.

1798 Irish rebels retreat to Vinegar Hill. British general's Loftus, Needham and Johnston close in on Vinegar Hill and General Moore defeats rebels at Goffs Bridge

1823 Jesse Lee Reno, Maj Gen, U.S., born.

1824 John Tyler Morgan, Brig Gen, C.S.A., born.

1837 Accession of Queen Victoria, age 18, to the British throne.

1863 West Virginia became the 35th state.

1865 Arapahos attack the eight men of Company G, 11th Ohio Cavalry, and the civilian telegraph operator, ten miles east of Sweetwater Station, Wyoming while they were repairing the telegraph line. The cavalrymen were grossly outnumbered in the assault. Three Arapahos and the telepgraph operator were killed in the engagement.

1867 US buys Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

1868 Ft. Fred Steele established in what is now Carbon County, Wyoming.

1881 Sitting Bull surrenders to the U.S. Army.


1898 U.S. Navy cruiser Charleston seized the island of Guam.

1899 Jean Moulin, hero of the French Resistance, executed 1943, born.

1909 Errol Flynn, actor, born.

1924 Audie Murphy born.


1940 Canadian Parliament passes a conscription law providing for service of conscripts in Canada if needed.

1940 France sues for peace in World War Two.

1940 9,000 Polish soldiers are evacuated from Bayonne aboard the Polish ships Batory and Sobieksi.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1940.html

1940 U-30, U-38, U-48 and U-122 each sink 1 merchant vessel around the British Isles and in Bay of Biscay.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1940.html

1941 Reservists under age 45 are called up in Finland.

1941 The US Army Air Corps is reorganized as the US Army Air Forces.

1941 The Ford Motor Company signed its first contract with teh AFL CIO.

1942 Japanese sub I-26 shells Port Estevan, near Vancouver, the only attack on Canadian soil during World War Two.

1942 Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp.

1942 The Afrika Korps launched a surprise attack on Tobruk.

1942 The U-67 damages Norwegian tanker MV Nortind with a torpedo but it does not sink.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1942.html

1942 In Operation Pastorius three German saboteurs are arrested in New York City. The FBI was acting on information from fourth saboteur, George Dasch, who turned himself in the day prior in Washington, D.C..
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1942.html


1942 RAF raids Emden, Germany.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1942.html

1943 The Detroit Race Riot breaks out and continues for three days. Actual tensions and protest had been building for months, with there being protests in 1942.

Detroit police in 1942.

1944 The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes.

1944 The Soviet Union demands for an unconditional surrender from Finland. Finnish government declines the demand.

1948 The US reinstitues conscription.

1963 The United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a hot line communication link.

1964 General William Westmoreland succeeded General Paul Harkins as head of the U.S. forces in Vietnam.

1967 Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. The conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court.

1975 The movie "Jaws" was released.

1982 The Argentine base Corbeta Uruguay on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal Marines.

1991 The German parliament decides to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin.

1999 NATO declared a formal end to its bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.

2007 Sammy Sosa of the Texas Rangers became the fifth major leaguer to hit 600 career home runs.

Congressional Medals of Honor for action on this day:

BENSON, JAMES: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1845, Denmark. Enlisted at: Yokohama, Japan. G.O. No.: 180, 10 October 1872. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Ossipee, 20 June 1872. Risking his life, Benson leaped into the sea while the ship was going at a speed of 4 knots and endeavored to save John K. Smith, landsman, of the same vessel, from drowning.

APPLETON, EDWIN NELSON: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 29 August 1876, Brooklyn, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 84, 22 March 1902. Citation: In action against the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 June 1900. Crossing the river in a small boat while under heavy enemy fire, Appleton assisted in destroying buildings occupied by the enemy.

BURNES, JAMES: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 14 January 1870, Worcester, Mass. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 84, 22 March 1902. Citation: In action against the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 June 1900. Crossing the river in a small boat with 3 other men while under a heavy fire from the enemy, Burnes assisted in destroying buildings occupied by hostile forces.

DAHLGREN, JOHN OLOF: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 14 September 1872, Kahliwar, Sweden. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900, Dahlgren distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.

FISHER, HARRY: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 20 October 1874, McKeesport, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: Served in the presence of the enemy at the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900. Assisting in the erection of barricades during the action, Fisher was killed by the heavy fire of the enemy.

HEISCH, HENRY WILLIAM: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 10 June 1872, Latendorf, Germany. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 84, 22 March 1902. Citation: In action against the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 June 1900. Crossing the river in a small boat while under heavy fire, Heisch assisted in destroying buildings occupied by the enemy.

HUNT, MARTIN: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 9 July 1873, County of Mayo, Ireland. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900, Hunt distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.

McALLISTER, SAMUEL: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 23 January 1869, Belfast, Ireland. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 84, 22 March 1902. Citation: In action against the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 June 1900. Crossing the river in a small boat while under heavy enemy fire, McAllister assisted in destroying buildings occupied by the enemy.

WALKER, EDWARD ALEXANDER: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 2 October 1864, Huntley, Scotland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900. Throughout this period, Walker distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.

O'BRIEN, WILLIAM J.: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division. Place and date: At Saipan, Marianas Islands, 20 June through 7 July 1944. Entered service at: Troy, N.Y. Birth: Troy, N.Y. G.O. No.: 35, 9 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Saipan, Marianas Islands, from 20 June through 7 July 1944. When assault elements of his platoon were held up by intense enemy fire, Lt. Col. O'Brien ordered 3 tanks to precede the assault companies in an attempt to knock out the strongpoint. Due to direct enemy fire the tanks' turrets were closed, causing the tanks to lose direction and to fire into our own troops. Lt. Col. O'Brien, with complete disregard for his own safety, dashed into full view of the enemy and ran to the leader's tank, and pounded on the tank with his pistol butt to attract 2 of the tank's crew and, mounting the tank fully exposed to enemy fire, Lt. Col. O'Brien personally directed the assault until the enemy strongpoint had been liquidated. On 28 June 1944, while his platoon was attempting to take a bitterly defended high ridge in the vicinity of Donnay, Lt. Col. O'Brien arranged to capture the ridge by a double envelopment movement of 2 large combat battalions. He personally took control of the maneuver. Lt. Col. O'Brien crossed 1,200 yards of sniper-infested underbrush alone to arrive at a point where 1 of his platoons was being held up by the enemy. Leaving some men to contain the enemy he personally led 4 men into a narrow ravine behind, and killed or drove off all the Japanese manning that strongpoint. In this action he captured S machineguns and one 77-mm. fieldpiece. Lt. Col. O'Brien then organized the 2 platoons for night defense and against repeated counterattacks directed them. Meanwhile he managed to hold ground. On 7 July 1944 his battalion and another battalion were attacked by an overwhelming enemy force estimated at between 3,000 and 5,000 Japanese. With bloody hand-to-hand fighting in progress everywhere, their forward positions were finally overrun by the sheer weight of the enemy numbers. With many casualties and ammunition running low, Lt. Col. O'Brien refused to leave the front lines. Striding up and down the lines, he fired at the enemy with a pistol in each hand and his presence there bolstered the spirits of the men, encouraged them in their fight and sustained them in their heroic stand. Even after he was seriously wounded, Lt. Col. O'Brien refused to be evacuated and after his pistol ammunition was exhausted, he manned a .50 caliber machinegun, mounted on a jeep, and continued firing. When last seen alive he was standing upright firing into the Jap hordes that were then enveloping him. Some time later his body was found surrounded by enemy he had killed His valor was consistent with the highest traditions of the service.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

WALLER William Francis Frederick: Lieutenant. 25th Bombay Light Infantry. For great gallantry at the capture by storm of the fortress of Qwalior, on the 20th June, 1858. He and Lieutenant Rose, who was killed, were the only Europeans present, and, with a mere handful of men, they attacked the fortress, climbed -on the roof of a house, shot the, gunners opposed to them, carried all before them, and took the fort, killing every man in it.

Last supplemented on Wednesday, June 20, 2012.

[Calendar]

June 21

Today is the Summer Solstice, except for leap years, when it occurs on the day prior.

217 BC Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene.

1665 The first of 24 companies of the Le Régiment de Carignan-Salières arrives in New France.

1692 Abenaki Indians raid English settlements in Maine and New Hampshire.

1788 The U.S. Constitution went into effect as New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.

1798 The British Army defeats Irish rebels at the Battle of Vinegar Hill.

June 211798 The British Army defeats Irish rebels at the Battle of Vinegar Hill.

In the surprised to learn that category, I just learned that a direct ancestor on my mother's side (ggg-grandfather) participated in this battle.

On the losing side.

And paid for that with his life.

Weird to learn of an unexpected connection with a historical event of some note.

1813 US Col. Charles Boerstler halts at Queenston Ontario for the night and billets his soldiers at the farm of Loyalist James Secord and his wife Laura Secord. The Secords overhear the American plans and Laura sneaks away to warn the British. She succeeds under arduous conditions, and after being captured by the Iroquois, who turned her over to the British.

1834 Cyrus Hall McCormick received a patent for his reaping machine.

1860 The Signal Corps was authorized as a separate branch of the Army by act of Congress on March 3, 1863. It officially dates its existence from June 21, 1860, when Congress authorized the appointment of one signal officer in the Army.

1862 Union and Confederate forces skirmished at the Chickahominy Creek during the Peninsular Campaign.

1863 Confederate cavalry failed to dislodge a Union force at the Battle of LaFourche Crossing in Louisiana.

1880 Confederate cavalry veteran (Missouri) Harry Yount receives word of his appointment as a wildlife officer for Yellowstone National Park, the first person to occupy such a position. He occupied it for only about a year, but is regarded as a pioneer in the field.

1898 Guam became a US territory.

1900 General Arthur MacArthur offered amnesty to Philippinos rebelling against American rule.

1900 After the Empress declared war on all foreign powers, the Chines Boxers began a two-month assault on the legations in Beijing.

1916 Mexican government troops attack U.S. Brigadier General John J. Pershing's force at Carrizal, Mexico.

1919 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fires a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans, killing two, during the Winnipeg General Strike.

1919 Admiral Ludwig von Reuter orders the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow, Orkney. Nine sailors are killed becoming the last casualties of World War I.

1921 U.S. Army Air Service pilots bombed the captured German battleship Ostfriesland to demonstrate the effectiveness of aerial bombing on warships.

1923 This advertisement ran in the Saturday Evening Post:


1929 An agreement brokered by U.S. Ambassador Dwight Whitney Morrow ends the Cristero War in Mexico. This war is the topic of a film which has just been released.

1940 France signs an armistice with Germany at Compiègne.

1940 Italy invades France. Italy invades France. They are held up, however, by a massive snow storm in the Alps and, on the Riviera by a French NCO and 7 men at Menton. Seems like a bad start for them.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1940.html

1940 U-boat sink the British decoy ship HMS Prunella (X 02).
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1940.html

1940 German U-99 attacked and damaged by a German Arado 196 scout aircraft from German battlecruiser Scharnhorst.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1940.html

1941 Free French capture Damascus. 5th Indian Infantry Brigade destroyed in the village of Mezze, Syria. The Vichy French then retreat and the Australians capture the town.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1941.html

1942 Tobruk falls to Italian and German forces.

1942 A Japanese submarine fires 17 shells at nearby Fort Stevens at the mouth of the Columbia.

1942 Canadian minesweeper HMCS Georgian rams the submarine HMS P-514 fearing that it was a German submarine. The unfamiliar looking HMS P-514 was a WWI-era Russian submarine that had been transferred to Royal Navy on March 9 1942. HMS P-514 sinks with all 29 crew.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1942.html

1942 U-128 sinks American SS West Ira.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1942.html

1952 Wilfrid "Wop" May dies while on holiday in Utah.

1963 The French government announced that it was withdrawing its navy from the North Atlantic fleet of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

1963 Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini was chosen to succeed the late Pope John XXIII as head of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Paul VI.

1964 Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a perfect game in a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets.

1977 Menachem Begin became Israel's sixth prime minister.

1982 John Hinckley Jr. was found innocent by reason of insanity in the shootings of President Ronald Reagan and three others.

1985 Scientists announced that skeletal remains exhumed in Brazil were those of Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele.

1989 The Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag as a form of political protest is protected by the First Amendment.

2009 Greenland assumes self-rule.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

WOOD, LEONARD: Indian Wars. Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army. Place and date: In Apache campaign, summer of 1886. Citation: Voluntarily carried dispatches through a region infested with hostile Indians, making a journey of 70 miles in one night and walking 30 miles the next day. Also for several weeks, while in close pursuit of Geronimo's band and constantly expecting an encounter, commanded a detachment of Infantry, which was then without an officer, and to the command of which he was assigned upon his own request.

CAMPBELL, ALBERT RALPH: Boxer Rebellion. Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Citation: In action at Tientsin, China, 21 June 1900. During the advance on Tientsin, Campbell distinguished himself by his conduct.

FRANCIS, CHARLES ROBERT[/b} Boxer Rebellion. Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Citation: In the presence of the enemy during the battle near Tientsin, China, 21 June 1900, Francis distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.

[b]KATES, THOMAS WILBUR: Boxer Rebellion. Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Citation: In the presence of the enemy during the advance on Tientsin, China, 21 June 1900, Kates distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.

HARVEY, CARMEL BERNON, JR.: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam, 21 June 1967. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Harvey distinguished himself as a fire team leader with Company B, during combat operations. Ordered to secure a downed helicopter, his platoon established a defensive perimeter around the aircraft, but shortly thereafter a large enemy force attacked the position from 3 sides. Sp4c. Harvey and 2 members of his squad were in a position directly in the path of the enemy onslaught, and their location received the brunt of the fire from an enemy machine gun. In short order, both of his companions were wounded, but Sp4c. Harvey covered this loss by increasing his deliberate rifle fire at the foe. The enemy machine gun seemed to concentrate on him and the bullets struck the ground all around his position. One round hit and armed a grenade attached to his belt. Quickly, he tried to remove the grenade but was unsuccessful. Realizing the danger to his comrades if he remained and despite the hail of enemy fire, he jumped to his feet, shouted a challenge at the enemy, and raced toward the deadly machine gun. He nearly reached the enemy position when the grenade on his belt exploded, mortally wounding Sp4c. Harvey, and stunning the enemy machine gun crew. His final act caused a pause in the enemy fire, and the wounded men were moved from the danger area. Sp4c. Harvey's dedication to duty, high sense of responsibility, and heroic actions inspired the others in his platoon to decisively beat back the enemy attack. His acts are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

MCWETHY, EDGAR LEE, JR.: Vietnam War. Posthumous award. Specialist Fifth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Rank and organization: Binh Dinh province, Republic of Vietnam, 21 June 1967. Entered service at: Denver, Colo. Born: 22 November 1944, Leadville, Colo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Serving as a medical aidman with Company B, Sp5c. McWethy accompanied his platoon to the site of a downed helicopter. Shortly after the platoon established a defensive perimeter around the aircraft, a large enemy force attacked the position from 3 sides with a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire and grenades. The platoon leader and his radio operator were wounded almost immediately, and Sp5c. McWethy rushed across the fire-swept area to their assistance. Although he could not help the mortally wounded radio operator, Sp5c. McWethy's timely first aid enabled the platoon leader to retain command during this critical period. Hearing a call for aid, Sp5c. McWethy started across the open toward the injured men, but was wounded in the head and knocked to the ground. He regained his feet and continued on but was hit again, this time in the leg. Struggling onward despite his wounds, he gained the side of his comrades and treated their injuries. Observing another fallen rifleman Lying in an exposed position raked by enemy fire, Sp5c. McWethy moved toward him without hesitation. Although the enemy fire wounded him a third time, Sp5c. McWethy reached his fallen companion. Though weakened and in extreme pain, Sp5c. McWethy gave the wounded man artificial respiration but suffered a fourth and fatal wound. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his safety, and demonstrated concern for his fellow soldiers, Sp5c. McWethy inspired the members of his platoon and contributed in great measure to their successful defense of the position and the ultimate rout of the enemy force. Sp5c. McWethy's profound sense of duty, bravery, and his willingness to accept extraordinary risks in order to help the men of his unit are characteristic of the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

MONTI, JARED C.: Afghanistan. Posthumous award. Staff Sergeant Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. Place and date: Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006. Citation: Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a team leader with , in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in While Staff Sergeant Monti was leading a mission aimed at gathering intelligence and directing fire against the enemy, his 16-man patrol was attacked by as many as 50 enemy fighters. On the verge of being overrun, Staff Sergeant Monti quickly directed his men to set up a defensive position behind a rock formation. He then called for indirect fire support, accurately targeting the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50 meters of his position. While still directing fire, Staff Sergeant Monti personally engaged the enemy with his rifle and a grenade, successfully disrupting an attempt to flank his patrol. Staff Sergeant Monti then realized that one of his Soldiers was lying wounded in the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol’s position. With complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Monti twice attempted to move from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of relentless enemy fire to rescue his fallen comrade. Determined not to leave his Soldier, Staff Sergeant Monti made a third attempt to cross open terrain through intense enemy fire. On this final attempt, he was mortally wounded, sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his fellow Soldier. Staff Sergeant Monti’s selfless acts of heroism inspired his patrol to fight off the larger enemy force. Staff Sergeant Monti’s immeasurable courage and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and the United States Army.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

LUCAS Charles Davis: Crimean War. Mate. Royal Navy. Citation: On 21 June 1854 in the Baltic, Hecla, with two other ships, was bombarding Bomarsund, a fort in the Åland Islands off of Finland. The fire was returned from the fort, and at the height of the action a live shell landed on Hecla's upper deck, with its fuse still hissing. All hands were ordered to fling themselves flat on the deck, but Lucas with great presence of mind ran forward and hurled the shell into the sea, where it exploded with a tremendous roar before it hit the water. Thanks to Lucas's action no one was killed or seriously wounded and he was immediately promoted to lieutenant by his commanding officer.

Lucus was the first person to receive the Victoria Cross.

MURRAY John: Waikato-Hauhau Maori War, New Zealand Sergeant 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), British Army 21 June 1864. Citation: For his distinguished conduct during the engagement at Tauranga, on the 21st of June, when the Enemy's position was being stormed, in running up to a Rifle Pit containing from eight to ten of the enemy, and, without any assistance, killing or wounding every one of them. He is stated to have afterwards proceeded up the works, fighting desperately, and still continuing to bayonet the Enemy.

SMITH Frederick Augustus: Waikato-Hauhau Maori War, New Zealand Captain. 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot, British Army. 21 June 1864 Citation: For his distinguished conduct during the engagement at Tauranga, on the 21st of June. He is stated to have led on his Company in the most gallant manner at the attack on the Maories' position, and, although wounded previously to reaching the Rifle Pits, to have jumped down into them, where he commenced a hand to hand encounter with the Enemy, thereby giving his men great encouragement, and setting them a fine example.

Last supplemented on Thursday, June 21, 2012.

[Pat Holscher]

Some interesting odds and ends today.

June 21


1923 This advertisement ran in the Saturday Evening Post:

This advertisement is discussed extensively in the thread on the early gasoline age.

1940 Italy invades France. Italy invades France. They are held up, however, by a massive snow storm in the Alps and, on the Riviera by a French NCO and 7 men at Menton. Seems like a bad start for them.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1940.html

Man, what a bad start to a major war. Getting held up on day one when your opponent has already surrendered to another power.

1941 Free French capture Damascus. 5th Indian Infantry Brigade destroyed in the village of Mezze, Syria. The Vichy French then retreat and the Australians capture the town.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1941.html

Shades of a civil war here. Free French v. Vichy.

1942 Tobruk falls to Italian and German forces.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

LUCAS Charles Davis: Crimean War. Mate. Royal Navy. Citation: On 21 June 1854 in the Baltic, Hecla, with two other ships, was bombarding Bomarsund, a fort in the Åland Islands off of Finland. The fire was returned from the fort, and at the height of the action a live shell landed on Hecla's upper deck, with its fuse still hissing. All hands were ordered to fling themselves flat on the deck, but Lucas with great presence of mind ran forward and hurled the shell into the sea, where it exploded with a tremendous roar before it hit the water. Thanks to Lucas's action no one was killed or seriously wounded and he was immediately promoted to lieutenant by his commanding officer.

Lucus was the first person to receive the Victoria Cross.

It's interesting to note that an award that was created during the Crimean War and which uses brass from melted down Russian cannons captured in the Crimea, was very first awarded to an Irish born enlisted sailor of the Royal Navy, for an action of the coast of Finland. Not what I would have expected at all.

[Calendar]

June 22

217 BC Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom.

168 BC Romans defeat Macedonian King Perseus.

1611 - After spending a winter trapped by ice in present-day Hudson Bay, the starving crew of the Discovery mutinies against its captain, English navigator Henry Hudson, and sets him, his teenage son, and seven supporters adrift in a small, open boat. Hudson and the eight others were never seen again.

Geez, what a bummer. To make it through the whole winter and have them dump you in the Spring.

1774 Parliament passes the Quebec Act.

1775 Congress issued $2,000,000 in bills of credit to fund the Revolution.

1798 John Kelly, “Kelly, the boy from Killane”, lamented in a song by The Dubliners, executed. Little is actually known about him.

1798 Following their defeat at Vinegar Hill, Irish rebel southern column marches through Sculloge Gap, into Co. Carlow. Their northern column marches to camp at Croghan.

1807 British officers of the H.M.S. Leopard boarded the U.S.S. Chesapeake after she had set sail for the Mediterranean, and demanded the right to search the ship for deserters.

1813 A British force attempted to take Craney Island near Norlfolk but lost over two hundred men and were forced to retreat. They attacked Hampton four days later.

1815 Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated for the second time.

1818 Boarding parties from the Revenue cutter Dallas seized the privateer Young Spartan.

1839 Cherokee leaders Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot assassinated for signing the Treaty of New Echota.

1847 The first doughnut with a hole in it was created.

1857 Company of Royal Canadian Rifles sent to Red River, Manitoba to police trade, train local militia and counter American influence in the region.

1864 U.S.S. Lexington withstood a surprise Confederate strike on White River Station, Arkansas.

1865 Confederate raider Shenandoah fires last shot of Civil War in Bering Strait.

1868 Arkansas was re-admitted to the Union.

1876 - General Alfred Terry sent Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer to the Rosebud and Little Bighorn rivers to search for Indian villages.

1884 - Navy relief expedition under CDR Winfield S. Schley rescues LT A.W. Greely, USA, and 6 others from Ellesmere Island, where they were marooned for 3 years on Arctic island.

1898 - ADM Sampson begins amphibious landing near Santiago, Cuba. Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt and Col. Leonard Wood led the Rough Riders, a volunteer cavalry regiment, onto the beach at Daiquiri in the Spanish American War.

1898 The 2nd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, "Torrey's Rough Riders" left Cheyenne by rail for Camp Cuba Libre,in Jacksonville, FL.

1898 Erich Maria Remarque, the German-born author of "All Quiet on the Western Front", was born.

1911 Britain's King George V was crowned at Westminster Abbey.

1916 Theodore Roosevelt stated, at the Progressive National Committee: "Our own political fortunes, individually and collectively, are of no consequence whatever when compared with the honor and welfare of the people of the United States. Such things do not count when weighed in the balance against our duty to serve well the country in which, after we are dead, our children and our children’s children are to live."

1922 Sir Henry Hughes Wilson.Imperial Chief of Staff in 1918, assassinated in London by Joseph O’Sullivan and Reginald Dunne. This was part of the IRA campaign of the era, but ironies abound regarding the assassination. Wilson was no longer in the Army, but rather was a British Member of Parliament. O'Sullivan and Dunne were veterans of the British Army from World War One, with O'Sullivan having lost a leg in the war. Wilson had been born in Ireland.

1933 Germany banned parties other than the Nazis.

1936 - Congress passed an act to define jurisdiction of Coast Guard. In one of of the most sweeping grants of police authority ever written into U.S. law, Congress designated the Coast Guard as the federal agency for "enforcement of laws generally on the high seas and navigable waters of the United States."

1940 France signed an armistice with Germany eight days after German forces overran Paris. The agreement provides that French POWS in German hands will remain in German hands until the conclusion of hostilities, thereby condemning 1M French soldiers to captivity for years. The agreement fails to address the French navy, which remains in French hands.

1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The operation is the largest military mission in human history, involving 3.5 million German and Romanian troops, 3,350 tanks, 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses.

1942 The first delivery of V-Mail.

1942 RAF raids Emden, Germany.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/2 ... -1942.html

1942 - A Japanese submarine shelled Fort Stevens, Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River.

This event was noted for yesterday as well. The shelling actually commenced almost at mid night so this is a correct entry for both days.

1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the GI Bill of Rights.

1944 British and Indian troops meet at Milestone 110, ending the Japanese sieges of Kohima and Imphal, Burma.

1945 The battle for Okinawa ended.

1947 Heavy snowfall threatened to cancel a Gillette Wyoming to Douglas Wyoming horse race.

1948 The SS 'Empire Windrush' docks at Tilbury, beginning post-war immigration to the UK from the British Commonwealth.

1954 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the first use of the first official Marine Corps Seal.

1970 - President Nixon signed the 26th amendment, a measure lowering the voting age to 18.

This change came about, in part, because conscription included 18 year olds.

1971 1,500 North Vietnamese attack the 500-man South Vietnamese garrison at Fire Base Fuller on the DMZ.

1982 - The first successful hostage rescue at sea occurred when a combined Coast Guard / FBI boarding party deployed from CGC Alert took control of the 890-foot Liberian-flagged motor tanker Ypapanti.

1989 Opposing factions in Angola agree to a cease-fire to end a fifteen year civil war.

1993 Former first lady Pat Nixon died at age 81.

Congressional Medals of Honor for action on this day:

None.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

ERSKINE John MacLaren: World War One. Sergeant. 5th Battalion, The Cameronians, British Army. Citation: For most conspicuous bravery. Whilst the near lip of a crater, caused by the explosion of a large enemy mine, was being consolidated, Actg. Serjt. Erskine rushed out under continuous fire with utter disregard of danger and rescued a wounded serjeant and a private. Later, seeing his officer, who was believed to be dead, show signs of movement, he ran out to him, bandaged his head, and remained with him for fully an hour, though repeatedly fired at, whilst a shallow trench was being dug to them. He then assisted in bringing in his officer, shielding him with his own body in order to lessen the chance of his being hit again.d a serjeant in the 5th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), British Army.

Sgt. Erskine was killed in action on April 14, 1917.

[Calendar]

June 23

79 Titus succeeds his father Vespasian as the tenth Roman Emperor.

23-24 June, 1314

Battle of Bannockburn, First War of Scottich Independence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_War_ ... dependence

See paragraph on single combat of Sir Henry de Bohun, nephew of the Earl of Hereford, and King Robert the Bruce.

1683 William Penn signed a friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Indians in Pennsylvania.

1713 French residents of Acadia given one year to plead allegiance to Britain or leave the country.

1763 Josephine Beauharnais Bonaparte, Empress of the French, born.

June 23

1776 - The final draft of Declaration of Independence was submitted to US Congress.

1780 Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey.

1784 - The 1st US balloon flight was made by Edward Warren.

1810 John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company.

1812 Marine Lt. John Heath became the first casualty of the War of 1812.

1817 The RC Active forced a South American privateer posing as an armed merchantman to leave the Chesapeake Bay and American waters.

1860 Congress establishes the Government Printing Office.

1865 Confederate General Stand Watie, a Cherokee chief, surrendered the last sizable Confederate army at Fort Towson, in the Oklahoma Territory.

1845 - The congress of the Republic of Texas voted to accept annexation by the US after 10 years as an independent republic.

1868 - Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called a "Type-Writer."

The typewriter, fwiw, is regarded as one of the major modern machines that ultimately resulted in the incorporation of women into the workplace. Scriveners and secretaries had typically been men, prior to the typewriter, although the switch over to the typewriter in the office, and the use of women as typists, would take decades to take place.

1892 The Democratic convention in Chicago nominated former President Grover Cleveland on the first ballot.

1913 The Greeks defeat the Bulgarians in the Battle of Doiran.

1914 Pancho Villa takes Zacatecas from Victoriano Huerta.

1917 Japanese DD Matsu sunk by a German u-boat in the Mediterranean.

1919 In the Estonian War of Independence the decisive defeat of the Baltische Landeswehr in the Battle of Cesis occurs. This day is celebrated as Victory Day in Estonia.

1926 – The College Board administers the first SAT exam.

1931 Aviators Wiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from New York on the first round-the-world flight in a single-engine plane.

1940 Hitler orders preparations for an invasion of Switzerland. It is ultimately determined by the Germans that while they could do it and win, it was too expensive in terms of resources and effort for what they then had on their plate.

1940 RCMP Sgt. Henry A. Larsen leaves on the RCMP schooner St. Roch for Halifax via the Northwest Passage. HIs ship will take southerly route through Arctic islands, and after two winters trapped in the ice, will reach Halifax Oct. 11, 1942;the first ship to make the voyage from west to east, and in both directions, and to circumnavigate North America.

1942 Germans breaks the Gazala Line and drive on Egypt.

1942 Start of Canadian conscription for Second World War home service, in Canada only.

1942 Germany's newest fighter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, is captured intact when it mistakenly lands at RAF Pembrey in Wales. Oops.

1943 Japanese sub Ro-103 sinks two transports off Guadalcanal.

1944 Soviets commence huge offensive.

1956 Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected president of Egypt.

1959 After nine years in prison, Klaus Fuchs, the German-born Los Alamos scientist whose espionage helped the USSR build their first atomic and hydrogen bombs, is released from a British prison.

1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson announces that Henry Cabot Lodge has resigned as ambassador to South Vietnam and that Gen. Maxwell Taylor will be his replacement.

1969 Warren E. Burger was sworn in as chief justice of the United States.

1969 Ben Het, a U.S. Special Forces camp located 288 miles northeast of Saigon and six miles from the junction of the Cambodian, Laotian and South Vietnamese borders, is besieged and cut off by 2,000 North Vietnamese troops.

1972 - President Nixon and White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman discussed a plan to use the CIA to obstruct the FBI's Watergate investigation.

1990 Moldava declares independence from the Soviet Union.

1991 Iraqi troops fire shots to prevent UNSCOM/IAEA inspectors from intercepting Iraqi vehicles carrying nuclear-related equipment.

1998 Iraq admits to experimenting with deadly VX chemical agent, but says it was unable to turn it into a weapon.

1998 President Clinton said the reported discovery of traces of deadly nerve gas on an Iraqi missile warhead gave the United States new reasons to maintain U.N. sanctions against the Baghdad government.

2004 In Iraq Polish forces purchased seventeen rockets for a Soviet made rocket launcher and two mortar rounds containing the nerve agent cyclosarin.

2009 "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon, WWII Marine Corps veteran, died at 86.

Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for action on today's date.

Of particular note is the third item:

Sergeant James Drury, Company C, 4th Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 23 June 1864. Saved the colors of his regiment when it was surrounded by a much larger force of the enemy and after the greater part of the regiment had been killed or captured.

Second Lieutenant John E. Butts, U.S. Army, Co. E, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: Normandy, France, 14, 16, and 23 June 1944. Heroically led his platoon against the enemy in Normandy, France, on 14, 16, and 23 June 1944. Although painfully wounded on the 14th near Orglandes and again on the 16th while spearheading an attack to establish a bridgehead across the Douve River, he refused medical aid and remained with his platoon. A week later, near Flottemanville Hague, he led an assault on a tactically important and stubbornly defended hill studded with tanks, antitank guns, pillboxes, and machinegun emplacements, and protected by concentrated artillery and mortar fire. As the attack was launched, 2d Lt. Butts, at the head of his platoon, was critically wounded by German machinegun fire. Although weakened by his injuries, he rallied his men and directed 1 squad to make a flanking movement while he alone made a frontal assault to draw the hostile fire upon himself. Once more he was struck, but by grim determination and sheer courage continued to crawl ahead. When within 10 yards of his objective, he was killed by direct fire. By his superb courage, unflinching valor and inspiring actions, 2d Lt. Butts enabled his platoon to take a formidable strong point and contributed greatly to the success of his battalion's mission.

Second Lieutenant David R. Kingsley, U.S. Army Air Corps, 97th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force. Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 23 June 1944: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, 23 June 1944 near Ploesti, Rumania, while flying as bombardier of a B17 type aircraft. On the bomb run 2d Lt. Kingsley's aircraft was severely damaged by intense flak and forced to drop out of formation but the pilot proceeded over the target and 2d Lt. Kingsley successfully dropped his bombs, causing severe damage to vital installations. The damaged aircraft, forced to lose altitude and to lag behind the formation, was aggressively attacked by 3 ME-109 aircraft, causing more damage to the aircraft and severely wounding the tail gunner in the upper arm. The radio operator and engineer notified 2d Lt. Kingsley that the tail gunner had been wounded and that assistance was needed to check the bleeding. 2d Lt. Kingsley made his way back to the radio room, skillfully applied first aid to the wound, and succeeded in checking the bleeding. The tail gunner's parachute harness and heavy clothes were removed and he was covered with blankets, making him as comfortable as possible. Eight ME-109 aircraft again aggressively attacked 2d Lt. Kingsley's aircraft and the ball turret gunner was wounded by 20mm. shell fragments. He went forward to the radio room to have 2d Lt. Kingsley administer first aid. A few minutes later when the pilot gave the order to prepare to bail out, 2d Lt. Kingsley immediately began to assist the wounded gunners in putting on their parachute harness. In the confusion the tail gunner's harness, believed to have been damaged, could not be located in the bundle of blankets and flying clothes which had been removed from the wounded men. With utter disregard for his own means of escape, 2d Lt. Kingsley unhesitatingly removed his parachute harness and adjusted it to the wounded tail gunner. Due to the extensive damage caused by the accurate and concentrated 20mm. fire by the enemy aircraft the pilot gave the order to bail out, as it appeared that the aircraft would disintegrate at any moment. 2d Lt. Kingsley aided the wounded men in bailing out and when last seen by the crewmembers he was standing on the bomb bay catwalk. The aircraft continued to fly on automatic pilot for a short distance, then crashed and burned. His body was later found in the wreckage. 2d Lt. Kingsley by his gallant heroic action was directly responsible for saving the life of the wounded gunner.

[Couvi]

1763 Josephine Beauharnais Bonaparte, Empress of the French, born.

Keeping this in the equine theme, her maiden name means "Fine Harness."

[selewis]

June 23

1868 - Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called a "Type-Writer."

The typewriter, fwiw, is regarded as one of the major modern machines that ultimately resulted in the incorporation of women into the workplace. Scriveners and secretaries had typically been men, prior to the typewriter, although the switch over to the typewriter in the office, and the use of women as typists, would take decades to take place.

I'm not convinced. True, the typewriter was a labor saving device; but the effort of writing is slight; also, women generally have better penmanship than men. Without further evidence I would regard this as a coincidental convergence of two trends, women moving into the workplace and invention, related in other ways but indirectly in this instance.

Sandy

[Trooper]

June 24.

A day which seems to be marked by the start of things, or by previews of coming attractions.

1314 The forces of Scotland's King Robert I defeated the English in the Battle of Bannockburn.

1497 The first recorded sighting of North America by a European took place as explorer John Cabot, on a voyage for England, spotted land, probably in present-day Canada.

1509 Henry VIII was crowned king of England.

1664 New Jersey, named after the Isle of Jersey, was founded.

1675 King Philip's War begins when a band of Wampanoag warriors raid the border settlement of Swansee, Massachusetts.

1793 The first republican constitution in France was adopted.

1862 U.S. intervention saved the British and French at the Dagu forts in China.

1863 Lee's army crossed the Potomac.

June 24

1864 - Colorado Governor John Evans warns that all peaceful Indians in the region must report to the Sand Creek reservation or risk being attacked, creating the conditions that will lead to the infamous Sand Creek Massacre. Evans' offer of sanctuary was at best halfhearted. His primary goal in 1864 was to eliminate all Native American activity in eastern Colorado Territory, an accomplishment he hoped would increase his popularity and eventually win him a U.S. Senate seat. Immediately after ordering the peaceful Indians to the reservation, Evans issued a second proclamation that invited white settlers to indiscriminately "kill and destroy all...hostile Indians." At the same time, Evans began creating a temporary 100-day militia force to wage war on the Indians. He placed the new regiment under the command of Colonel John Chivington, another ambitious man who hoped to gain high political office by fighting Indians. The Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe Indians of eastern Colorado were unaware of these duplicitous political maneuverings. Although some bands had violently resisted white settlers in years past, by the autumn of 1864 many Indians were becoming more receptive to Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle's argument that they must make peace. Black Kettle had recently returned from a visit to Washington, D.C., where President Abraham Lincoln had given him a huge American flag of which Black Kettle was very proud. He had seen the vast numbers of the white people and their powerful machines. The Indians, Black Kettle argued, must make peace or be crushed. When word of Governor Evans' June 24 offer of sanctuary reached the Indians, however, most of the Indians remained distrustful and were unwilling to give up the fight. Only Black Kettle and a few lesser chiefs took Evans up on his offer of amnesty. In truth, Evans and Chivington were reluctant to see hostilities further abate before they had won a glorious victory, but they grudgingly promised Black Kettle his people would be safe if they came to Fort Lyon in eastern Colorado. In November 1864, the Indians reported to the fort as requested. Major Edward Wynkoop, the commanding federal officer, told Black Kettle to settle his band about 40 miles away on Sand Creek, where he promised they would be safe. Wynkoop, however, could not control John Chivington. By November, the 100-day enlistment of the soldiers in his Colorado militia was nearly up, and Chivington had seen no action. His political stock was rapidly falling, and he seems to have become almost insane in his desire to kill Indians. "I long to be wading in gore!" he is said to have proclaimed at a dinner party. In this demented state, Chivington apparently concluded that it did not matter whether he killed peaceful or hostile Indians. In his mind, Black Kettle's village on Sand Creek became a legitimate and easy target. At daybreak on November 29, 1864, Chivington led 700 men, many of them drunk, in a savage assault on Black Kettle's peaceful village. Most of the Cheyenne warriors were away hunting. In the awful hours that followed, Chivington and his men brutally slaughtered 105 women and children and killed 28 men. The soldiers scalped and mutilated the corpses, carrying body parts back to display in Denver as trophies. Amazingly, Black Kettle and a number of other Cheyenne managed to escape. In the following months, the nation learned of Chivington's treachery at Sand Creek, and many Americans reacted with horror and disgust. By then, Chivington and his soldiers had left the military and were beyond reach of a court-martial. Chivington's political ambitions, however, were ruined, and he spent the rest of his inconsequential life wandering the West. The scandal over Sand Creek also forced Evans to resign and dashed his hopes of holding political office. Evans did, however, go on to a successful and lucrative career building and operating Colorado railroads.

Quote from: http://tdiumh.blogspot.com/2005/06/june-24.html

Very nice synopsis John.

A few additional comments.

1. John quite correctly makes a distinction between the Colorado Volunteers and the Federal forces here. It's quite significant. Sometimes the Sand Creek Massacre is attributed to "the U.S. Army", which is wholly inaccurate. It was an atrocity committed by Colorado volunteers, and significantly here, this particular unit was mostly recruited out of toughs and bums from Denver. Denver was already as sizable town, and it had enough residents to contribute this cavalry unit. Colorado raised other units during the Civil War, some of notably superior quality. This one had a lot of bums in it.

State units were significant in the West during the Civil War. Some gave notable performance. The 11th Ohio Cavalry and the 11th Kansas Cavalry were notable units on the Oregon Trail during the war, and uniquely occupied block house type forts during the war all through Wyoming along the trail. The 2nd Colorado, on the other hand, were short termers and quite a few of them were reprobates.

The U.S. Army did not undertake the action at Sand Creek, and was not responsible for it. Generally, they were horrified by the Colorado Volunteers' actions at Sand Creeks, and pondered taking legal action against the officers, but it was too late as they were out of the service by the time the Army could have taken action.

2. A small but peculiar oddity of the Battle at Sand Creek is that the Bent family had members on both sides of it. The Bent children were half Cheyenne and half White. George Bent was traveling with a Cheyenne band at the time, and ran into the survivors soon after the battle. One of his sisters was in the camp (perhaps with their mother) when it was attacked. One of their brothers was with Chivington's men when they attacked, serving as some sort of a scout. I don't know that this tells us anything, but it's weird.

3. An uncomfortable thing about Chivington is that he can't really be dismissed as a military incompetent. He acted criminally and barbarically at Sand Creek, but he was sort of a hero for his actions at Glorietta Pass, where he had a significant role. But for Sand Creek, we'd remember him for Glorietta Pass, where he commanded a different unit. Because of Sand Creek, we only remember him for his barbarism there.

I think that perhaps Chivington can be regarded as genuinely unhinged. He attempted a lot of things during his life, and had brief success with several, before his personality seemed to catch up with him. He's one of those Civil War era characters who seem to have risen into prominence by demonstrating some military abilities, combined with fierce hatred. Rather than hating the South, or the North, like some other examples, he hated the Indians. He was irrational about it, and likely more than a little mentally disturbed.

4. I've posted about the Battle of Red Buttes here recently. That was an offshoot of Sand Creek, but occurred in July 1865. Colorado's assault on the Cheyenne spilled very rapidly into Wyoming, where the Cheyenne and the Sioux launched into a retaliatory war. That war itself would spill into Red Cloud's War, which is generally cited as the only successful Plains Indian campaign against the Federal Government. But the earlier war sparked by Chivington's attack was at least partially successful. In July 1865 the Cheyenne and Sioux attacked Platte Bridge Station seeking revenge for Sand Creek. Troops of the 11th Kansas Cavalry, lead by an officer of the 11th Ohio Cavalry, attacked first to try to open back up the Oregon Trail for a wagon train, but were repulsed. Almost immediately thereafter the Army wagon train was attacked and destroyed in the Battle of Red Buttes. A major treaty would be entered into the Indians shortly after the Civil War, but Red Cloud's failure to participate would lead to the second war nearly immediately.

5. Today the Sand Creek Massacre is remembered in Wyoming by the designation of the Sand Creek Massacre Trail. The trail runs along the highway and goes from Sand Creek to the Wind River Indian Reservation. The reservation is a Shoshone and Arapahoe reservation, but the distinction reflects the flight of Cheyennes to the area. The Arapahoe were a people allied to the Cheyenne and Sioux.

Also on this day, in 1876, Albert Curtis was killed by A.W. Chandler on the Little Laramie River for sheep trespass. This 1876 killing is a surprisingly early incident in what would come to be increasing violence between sheepmen and cattlemen, as earlier discussed in this thread. Curtis' father was a judge in Ohio.

1876 Crow and Arikara Scouts with Custer's command report the presence of a large village in the Little Big Horn Valley, which they are able to see from the Wolf Mountains fifteen miles away. They report the pony herd to be "like worms crawling on the grass,". They asked for a soldier to confirm the sighting. Lt. Charles Varnum, Chief of Scouts, did this and subsequently escorted Custer to the same spot, who could not see the village.

Varnum survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn and commanded Co. B, 7th Cav, at Wounded Knee in 1890. He retired under disability while stationed in the Philippines in 1907, where he remained a reserve office. He ultimately retired from that position in 1918 and returned to the United States. When he died in 1936 he was the last surviving officer of the Little Big Horn battle.

1898 American troops drove Spanish forces from La Guasimas, Cuba.

1908 Former President Grover Cleveland died in Princeton, N.J., at age 71.

1940 France signed an armistice with Italy during World War II.

1948 Communist forces cut off all land and water routes between West Germany and West Berlin, prompting the United States to organize a massive airlift.

1955 Soviet aircraft shoot down a U.S. Navy patrol plane over the Bering Strait.

1970 The Senate votes 81 to 10 to repeal the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

HUGHES, OLIVER: Civil War. Corporal, Company C, 12th Kentucky Infantry. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 24 June 1864. Citation: Capture of flag of 11th South Carolina (C.S.A.).

SMITH, CHARLES H.: Civil WAr. Colonel, 1st Maine Cavalry. Place and date: At St. Mary's Church, Va., 24 June 1864. Citation: Remained in the fight to the close, although severely wounded.

WEIR, HENRY C.: Civil War. Captain and Assistant Adjutant General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At St. Mary's Church, Va., 24 June 1864. Citation: The division being hard pressed and falling back, this officer dismounted, gave his horse to a wounded officer, and thus enabled him to escape. Afterwards, on foot, Captain Weir rallied and took command of some stragglers and helped to repel the last charge of the enemy.

CHURCH, JAMES ROBB: Spanish American War. Assistant Surgeon, 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. Place and date: At Las Guasimas, Cuba, 24 June 1898.Citation: In addition to performing gallantly the duties pertaining to his position, voluntarily and unaided carried several seriously wounded men from the firing line to a secure position in the rear, m each instance being subjected to a very heavy fire and great exposure and danger.

BENNETT, EMORY L.: Korean War. Posthumous award. Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Sobangsan, Korea, 24 June 1951. Citation: Pfc. Bennett a member of Company B, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations. At approximately 0200 hours, 2 enemy battalions swarmed up the ridge line in a ferocious banzai charge in an attempt to dislodge Pfc. Bennett's company from its defensive positions. Meeting the challenge, the gallant defenders delivered destructive retaliation, but the enemy pressed the assault with fanatical determination and the integrity of the perimeter was imperiled. Fully aware of the odds against him, Pfc. Bennett unhesitatingly left his foxhole, moved through withering fire, stood within full view of the enemy, and, employing his automatic rifle, poured crippling fire into the ranks of the onrushing assailants, inflicting numerous casualties. Although wounded, Pfc. Bennett gallantly maintained his l-man defense and the attack was momentarily halted. During this lull in battle, the company regrouped for counterattack, but the numerically superior foe soon infiltrated into the position. Upon orders to move back, Pfc. Bennett voluntarily remained to provide covering fire for the withdrawing elements, and, defying the enemy, continued to sweep the charging foe with devastating fire until mortally wounded. His willing self-sacrifice and intrepid actions saved the position from being overrun and enabled the company to effect an orderly withdrawal. Pfc. Bennett's unflinching courage and consummate devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and the military service.[/quote]

[Trooper]

June 25.

524 The Franks defeat the Burgundians in the Battle of Vézeronce.

1647 First horses arrive in Canada as a gift from the King of France to Governor Montmagny. This is the origin of Canadian breed.

1741 Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Hungary.

June 25

1798 - US passed the Alien Act allowing president to deport dangerous aliens. (I would not have thought this would have been a problem in 1798)

The act was part of four acts, collectively making up what folks refer to as the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798. The US was fighting an undeclared naval war against revolutionary France at the time, and there was real fear that the war would develop into a full blown declared war. The war sparked a sharp divide in the country between those who looked upon the French Revolution as a radical assault on reason, and those who viewed it as the logical evolution of events set in motion by the American Revolution. The two views might best be characterized by the views of the two successive Presidents who served during the prolonged series of events, those being John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

That acts were controversial at the time. Federalist believed they were necessary to combat internal disloyalty. Their opponents believed they were Unconstitutional. The most radical of them, the Sedition Act, is generally the one that is most poorly regarded, although similar acts have popped up from time to time in periods of great stress.

1863 George Meade replaces Joe Hooker as Commander of the Army of the Potomac.

1864 Union troops begin a tunnel under Confederate lines at Petersburg.

1867 - The 1st barbed wire was patented by Lucien B. Smith of Ohio.

1868 Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union.

1870 Erskine Childers, British soldier, novelist, member of the Royal Navy, British spy and Irish nationalist, is born in London.

1876 - Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated his telephone at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

1876 - Determined to resist the efforts of the U.S. Army to force them onto reservations, Indians under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse wipe out Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and much of his 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Indians were not allowed to revel in the victory for long, however. The massacre of Custer and his 7th Cavalry outraged many Americans and only confirmed the image of the bloodthirsty Indians in their minds, and the government became more determined to destroy or tame the hostile Indians. The army redoubled its efforts and drove home the war with a vengeful fury. Within five years, almost all of the Sioux and Cheyenne would be confined to reservations. Crazy Horse was killed in 1877 after leaving the reservation without permission. Sitting Bull was shot and killed three years later in 1890 by a Lakota policeman.

Nice synopsis.

Little Big Horn is by far the most famous of American Indian battles, and almost defines them for the average person. It remains one of the most written about of all American historical events. It was a huge shock to the American psyche at the time, and resulted in the Army being expanded by 2,500 men for Plains service.

In terms of actual casualties, the 7th suffered about 52 percent casualties of the force that was deployed, in a battle that saw fighting at widely separated points, several miles distant, including 16 officers and 242 enlisted men killed. One officer and 51 enlisted men survived the battles with wounds. The battle is mostly remembered due to the fact that the every man in Custer's immediate command was killed, which makes up the bulk of the casualties. This may be a bit unfair, as it somewhat discounts the effective defense put up by Reno and Benteen's men in a separate location.

Of interest, 22% of the 7th Cavalry was detached prior to the expedition on other duties, a fairly common occurrence. 166 men and officers therefore were not present on the campaign, and missed the battle.

1876 On this date, in 1876, a large combined group of Cheyennes, Sioux, Arapaho and maybe even a few Metis, defeated an assault by the 7th Cavalry in southern Montana, resulting in the complete elimination of one prong of a split assault, and the retreat and desperate defense by two other elements of the command. The 7th's effort was part of a summer 1875 campaign on the northern plains, which had seen a the defeat of a combined unit of elements of the 2d & 3d Cavalry, 4th and 9th Infantry, and Crow and Shoshone scouts in southern Montana several days earlier. Both Plains Indians victories marked the high water mark, and the rapidly receding tide, of Indian power on the northern plains.

1886 General of the Air Force Henry "Hap" Arnold, born.

1900 Admiral of the Fleet Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma, born.

1903 Eric Blair [George Orwell], author born.

June 25

1917 - Navy convoy of troopships carrying American Expeditionary Forces arrives in France.

1941: In a somewhat bizarre example of failing to recognize when things are really bad, the Soviet Union bombed Finnish cities. Finland was obligated by arrangements with Germany to enter the war against the USSR in any event, and the Germans had invaded the Soviet Union on June 22. Nonetheless, the Finnish government had not yet acted to join the Germans in the war. With the Soviet bombing of the Finnish cities, the Finnish government recognized that a state of war existed between the Soviet Union and Finland, that being, in their view, the "Continuation War", ie, a revival of the Winter War.

1941 FDR bars racial discrimination in war industries

1943. Eamon de Valera's party, Finanna Fail, suffers electoral defeats thereby making it a minority government. The electoral defeats are at least partially attributable to the Irish electorates disapproval of de Valera's policy of seeking to avoid having Ireland enter the war on the Allied side. In spite of the defeats, Fianna Fail, although in the minority, was still the largest party in the Dail, and therefore de Valera retained power in a minority government.

1944 The Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in the Nordic Countries, begins.

1947 The Dairy of Anne Frank published.

1948 Berlin Airlift' begins.

1950 - Armed forces from communist North Korea smash into South Korea, setting off the Korean War.

Very interesting. I'd forgotten that this was in early summer and had thought, for some reason, that it was in Spring.

1982 Greece abolishes the head shaving of recruits in the military.

1991 The Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence.

Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

DILLON, MICHAEL A.: Private, Company G, 2d New Hampshire Infantry. Place and date: At Williamsburg, Va., 5 May 1862. At Oak Grove, Va., 25 June 1862. Entered service at: Wilton, N.H. Birth: Chelmsford, Mass. Date of issue: 10 October 1889. Citation: Bravery in repulsing the enemy's charge on a battery, at Williamsburg, Va. At Oak Grove, Va., crawled outside the lines and brought in important information.

McKEEN, NINEVEH S.: First Lieutenant, Company H, 21st Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Stone River, Tenn., 30 December 1862. At Liberty Gap, Tenn., 25 June 1863. Entered service at: Marshall, Clark County, Ill. Birth: Marshall, Clark County, Ill. Date of issue: 23 June 1890. Citation: Conspicuous in the charge at Stone River, Tenn., where he was three times wounded. At Liberty Gap, Tenn., captured colors of 8th Arkansas Infantry (C.S.A.).

SULLIVAN, JOHN: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1839, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as seaman on board the U.S.S. Monticello during the reconnaissance of the harbor and water defenses of Wilmington, N.C. 23 to 25 June 1864. Taking part in a reconnaissance of enemy defenses which covered a period of 2 days and nights, Sullivan courageously carried out his duties during this action, which resulted in the capture of a mail carrier and mail, the cutting of a telegraph wire, and the capture of a large group of prisoners. Although in immediate danger from the enemy at all times, Sullivan showed gallantry and coolness throughout this action which resulted in the gaining of much vital information of the rebel defenses.

TAYLOR, HENRY H.: Sergeant, Company C, 45th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Vicksburg, Miss., 25 June 1863. Entered service at: Galena, Jo Daviess County, Ill. Birth: Jo Daviess County, Ill. Date of issue: 1 September 1893. Citation: Was the first to plant the Union colors upon the enemy's works.

WARD, NELSON W.: Private, Company M, 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Staunton River Bridge, Va., 25 June 1864. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Columbiana County, Ohio. Date of issue: 10 September 1897. Citation: Voluntarily took part in a charge; went alone in front of his regiment under a heavy fire to secure the body of his captain, who had been killed in the action.

WARREN, DAVID: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1836, Scotland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as coxswain on board the U.S.S. Monticello during the reconnaissance of the harbor and water defenses of Wilmington, N.C., 23 to 25 June 1864. Taking part in a reconnaissance of enemy defenses which lasted 2 days and nights, Warren courageously carried out his duties during this action which resulted in the capture of a mail carrier and mail, the cutting of a telegraph wire, and the capture of a large group of prisoners. Although in immediate danger from the enemy, Warren showed gallantry and coolness throughout this action which resulted in the gaining of much vital information of the rebel defenses.

WRIGHT, WILLIAM: Yoeman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1835, London, England. Accredited to: Maryland. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as yeoman on board the U.S.S. Monticello during the reconnaissance of the harbor and water defenses of Wilmington, N.C., 23 to 25 June 1864. Taking part in a reconnaissance of enemy defenses which covered a period of 2 days and nights, Wright courageously carried out his cutting of a telegraph wire and the capture of a large group of prisoners. Although in immediate danger from the enemy at all times, Wright showed gallantry and coolness throughout this action which resulted in the gaining of much vital information of the rebel defenses.

BANCROFT, NEIL
Rank and organization: Private, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Birth: Oswego, N.Y. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Brought water for the wounded under a most galling fire.

BRANT, ABRAM B.
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Birth: New York, N.Y. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Brought water for the wounded under a most galling fire.

CRISWELL, BANJAMIN C.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at:------. Birth: Marshall County, W. Va. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Rescued the body of Lt. Hodgson from within the enemy's lines; brought up ammunition and encouraged the men in the most exposed positions under heavy fire.

CUNNINGHAM, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Hudson, N.Y. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Declined to leave the line when wounded in the neck during heavy fire and fought bravely all next day.

DEETLINE, FREDERICK
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 15 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.

GEIGER, GEORGE
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Cincinnati, Ohio. Date of issue: S October 1878. Citation: With 3 comrades during the entire engagement courageously held a position that secured water for the command.

HANLEY, RICHARD P.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at:------. Birth: Boston, Mass. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation. Recaptured, singlehanded, and without orders, within the enemy's lines and under a galling fire lasting some 20 minutes, a stampeded pack mule loaded with ammunition.

HARRIS, DAVID W.
Rank and organization: Private, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Birth: Indianapolis, Ind. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Brought water to the wounded, at great danger to his life, under a most galling fire from the enemy.

HARRIS, WILLIAM M.
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Mt. Vernon, Ky. Birth: Madison County, Ky. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire of the enemy.

HOLDEN, HENRY
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: ------. Birth: England. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Brought up ammunition under a galling fire from the enemy.

HUTCHINSON, RUFUS D.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Birth: Butlerville, Ohio. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Guarded and carried the wounded, brought water for the same, and posted and directed the men in his charge under galling fire from the enemy.

MECHLIN, HENRY W. B.
Rank and organization: Blacksmith, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Pittsburgh, Pa. Born: 14 October 1851, Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, Pa. Date of issue: 29 August 1878. Citation: With 3 comrades during the entire engagement courageously held a position that secured water for the command.

MURRAY, THOMAS
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at:------. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: S October 1878. Citation: Brought up the pack train, and on the second day the rations, under a heavy flre from the enemy.

PYM, JAMES
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn River, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Birth: Oxfordshire, England. Date of issue: S October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily went for water and secured the same under heavy fire.

ROY, STANISLAUS
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at:------. Birth: France. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Brought water to the wounded at great danger to life and under a most galling fire of the enemy.

THOMPSON, PETER
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Pittsburgh, Pa. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: After having voluntarily brought water to the wounded, in which effort he was shot through the head, he made two successful trips for the same purpose, notwithstanding remonstrances of his sergeant.

TOLAN, FRANK
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Birth: Malone, N.Y. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.

VOIT, OTTO
Rank and organization: Saddler, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25 June 1876. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Volunteered with George Geiger, Charles Windolph, and Henry Mechlin to hold an exposed position standing erect on the brow of the hill facing the Little Big Horn River. They fired constantly in this manner for more than 20 minutes diverting fire and attention from another group filling canteens of water that were desperately needed.

SADLER, WILLIAM: Captain of the Top, U.S. Navy. Born: 1854, Boston, Mass. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. Citation: For jumping overboard from the U.S.S. Saratoga, off Coasters Harbor Island, R.I., 25 June 1881, and sustaining until picked up by a boat from the ship, Frank Gallagher, second class boy, who had fallen overboard.

EPPERSON, HAROLD GLENN: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 14 July 1923, Akron, Ohio. Accredited to: Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on the Island of Saipan in the Marianas, on 25 June 1944. With his machinegun emplacement bearing the full brunt of a fanatic assault initiated by the Japanese under cover of predawn darkness, Pfc. Epperson manned his weapon with determined aggressiveness, fighting furiously in the defense of his battalion's position and maintaining a steady stream of devastating fire against rapidly infiltrating hostile troops to aid materially in annihilating several of the enemy and in breaking the abortive attack. Suddenly a Japanese soldier, assumed to be dead, sprang up and hurled a powerful hand grenade into the emplacement. Determined to save his comrades, Pfc. Epperson unhesitatingly chose to sacrifice himself and, diving upon the deadly missile, absorbed the shattering violence of the exploding charge in his own body. Stouthearted and indomitable in the face of certain death, Pfc. Epperson fearlessly yielded his own life that his able comrades might carry on the relentless battle against a ruthless enemy. His superb valor and unfaltering devotion to duty throughout reflect the highest credit upon himself and upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

KELLY, JOHN D.: Technical Sergeant (then Corporal), U.S. Army, Company E, 314th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division. Place and date: Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, 25 June 1944. Entered service at: Cambridge Springs, Pa. Birth: Venango Township, Pa. G.O. No.: 6, 24 January 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On 25 June 1944, in the vicinity of Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, when Cpl. Kelly's unit was pinned down by heavy enemy machinegun fire emanating from a deeply entrenched strongpoint on the slope leading up to the fort, Cpl. Kelly volunteered to attempt to neutralize the strongpoint. Arming himself with a pole charge about 10 feet long and with 15 pounds of explosive affixed, he climbed the slope under a withering blast of machinegun fire and placed the charge at the strongpoint's base. The subsequent blast was ineffective, and again, alone and unhesitatingly, he braved the slope to repeat the operation. This second blast blew off the ends of the enemy guns. Cpl. Kelly then climbed the slope a third time to place a pole charge at the strongpoint's rear entrance. When this had been blown open he hurled hand grenades inside the position, forcing survivors of the enemy guncrews to come out and surrender The gallantry, tenacity of purpose, and utter disregard for personal safety displayed by Cpl. Kelly were an incentive to his comrades and worthy of emulation by all.

OGDEN, CARLOS C.: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company K, 314th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Fort du Roule, France, 25 June 1944. Entered service at: Fairmont, Ill. Born: 19 May 1917, Borton, Ill. G.O. No.: 49, 28 June 1945. Citation: On the morning of 25 June 1944, near Fort du Roule, guarding the approaches to Cherbourg, France, 1st Lt. Ogden's company was pinned down by fire from a German 88-mm. gun and 2 machineguns. Arming himself with an M-1 rifle, a grenade launcher, and a number of rifle and handgrenades, he left his company in position and advanced alone, under fire, up the slope toward the enemy emplacements. Struck on the head and knocked down by a glancing machinegun bullet, 1st Lt. Ogden, in spite of his painful wound and enemy fire from close range, continued up the hill. Reaching a vantage point, he silenced the 88mm. gun with a well-placed rifle grenade and then, with handgrenades, knocked out the 2 machineguns, again being painfully wounded. 1st Lt. Ogden's heroic leadership and indomitable courage in alone silencing these enemy weapons inspired his men to greater effort and cleared the way for the company to continue the advance and reach its objectives.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

BATTEN-POOLL Arthur Hugh Henry. Lieutenant. The Royal Munster Fusiliers, British 1st Division, formerly with the Somerset Light Infantry, and formerly of the 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers. On 25 June 1916 near Colonne, France, Lieutenant Henry-Batten-Pooll was in command of a raiding party when, on entering the enemy's lines he was severely wounded by a bomb which broke and mutilated all the fingers of his right hand. In spite of this he continued to direct operations with unflinching courage. Half an hour later during the withdrawal, while personally assisting in the rescue of other wounded men, he received two further wounds, but refusing assistance, he walked to within 100 yards of our lines when he fainted and was carried in by the covering party.

DUNVILLE John Spencer: Lieutenant. 1st Royal Dragoons, British Army. 25 June 1917. For most conspicuous bravery. When in charge of a party consisting of Scouts and Royal Engineers engaged in the demolition of the enemy's wire, this officer displayed great gallantry and disregard of all personal danger. In order to ensure the absolute success of the work entrusted to him, 2nd Lt. Dunville placed himself between the N.C.O. of the Royal Engineers and the enemy's fire, and thus protected, this N.C.O. was enabled to complete a work of great importance. 2nd Lt. Dunville, although severely wounded, continued to direct his men in the wire-cutting and general operations until the raid was successfully completed, thereby setting a magnificent example of courage, determination and devotion to duty, to all ranks under his command. This gallant officer has since succumbed to his wounds.

[Trooper]

June 26

363 Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by the troops on the battlefield.

1242 At the Battle of Kuzadagh the Mongols defeat the Seljuks.

1483 Richard III becomes king of England after declaring his nephews Edward and Richard illegitimate.

1521 Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez began his attack on the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan.

1718 Czarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia, Peter the Great's son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him.

1723 Baku surrenders to the Russians.

June 26

1804 - The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.

1819 Abner Doubleday, Maj. Gen, U.S., born.

1837 Martin Davis Hardin II, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1837 Victor Jean Baptiste Girardey, Brig Gen, C.S.A., born.

1848 End of the June Days Uprising in Paris.

1857 – The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London.

1865 The Civil war ends with the surrender of the last Southern forces, led by Gen Edmund Kirby-Smith, at Shreveport LA.

1865: Co. I, 11th Kansas, attacked by large party of Cheyenne/Sioux while repairing a telegraph line near Red Buttes, Wyoming. The men expended between 36 and 60 rounds of ammunition each, taking two wounded in a hard fought action taking them back to Platte Bridge Station, a distance of six miles.

1870 Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States. Today it wouldn't occur, and if it did, it would result in an endless series of lawsuits.

1876 - Following Lieutenant Colonel George Custer's death the previous day in the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Major Marcus Reno takes command of the surviving soldiers of the 7th Cavalry.

1880 Chilean forces defeated a combined Peruvian-Bolivian Army at the Battle of Tacna.

1884 Congress authorizes commissioning of Naval Academy graduates as ensigns.

1891 - The Marine Corps established its first post at Port Royal, South Carolina, later known as Parris Island.

1894 The American Railway Union, led by Eugene Debs, called a general strike in sympathy with Pullman workers.

1900 - The United States announced it would send troops to fight against the Boxer rebellion in China.

1900 - A commission that included Dr. Walter Reed began the fight against the deadly disease yellow fever.

1917 - During World War I, the first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops land in France at the port of Saint Nazaire.

1934 Germany and Poland sign a non-aggression pact.

1934 While Germany was agreeing not to attack Poland, Hitler purged his rivals in the SA, including Ernst Rohm, during the 'Night of the Long Knives'. This consolidated Hitler's power within his party, and placated the German Army, which feared the desire of the SA to become a new radical political army in place of the Heer. Contrary to common assumption, the SA did not disappear, but was decapitated.

1936 First flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.

1940 The Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina.

1941 Soviet planes bomb Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia). Hungary declares war the next day.

1941 Nazi-collaborators in Lithuania massacre 2,300 Jews in Kovno.

1942 Australian Kanga Force raids Salamaua.

1942 The first flight of the Grumman F6F.

1944 Japanese capture U.S. airbase at Hengyang, China.

1959 The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens.

1960 British Somaliland gains its independence as Somaliland .

1960 Madagascar gains its independence from France.

1963 President Kennedy' makes his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in Berlin. The phrase is grammatically incorrect for what he meant to say, but was very warmly received by Berliners.

1975 A firefight occurs on the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota as FBI agents pursued a robbery suspect.

1991 - A Kentucky medical examiner announced that test results showed President Zachary Taylor had died in 1850 of natural causes—and not arsenic poisoning, as speculated by a writer. Taylor’s remains were exhumed so that tissue samples could be taken.

1996 The Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women or forgo state support.

Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

WILLIAMS, JOHN: Rank and organization: Captain of the Maintop, U.S. Navy. Born: 1828, New Orleans, La. Accredited to: Louisiana. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Serving as captain of the maintop of the U.S.S. Pawnee in the attack upon Mathias Point, 26 June 1861, Williams told his men, while lying off in the boat, that every man must die on his thwart sooner than leave a man behind. Although wounded by a musket ball in the thigh he retained the charge of his boat; and when the staff was shot away, held the stump in his hand, with the flag, until alongside the Freeborn.

CALLEN, THOMAS J.
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date. At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 June 1876. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 24 October 1896. Citatlon: Volunteered and succeeded in obtaining water for the wounded of the command; also displayed conspicuously good conduct in assistlng to drive away the Indians.

GOLDIN, THEODORE W.
Rank and organization: Private, Troop G, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 26 June 1876. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 25 July 1855, Avon, Rock County, Wis. Date of issue: 21 December 1895. Citation: One of a party of volunteers who, under a heavy fire from the Indians, went for and brought water to the wounded .

GREAVES, CLINTON
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company C, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Florida Mountains, N. Mex., 24 January 1877. Entered service at: Prince Georges County, Md. Birth: Madison County, Va. Date of issue: 26 June 1879. Citation: While part of a small detachment to persuade a band of renegade Apache Indians to surrender, his group was surrounded. Cpl. Greaves in the center of the savage hand-to-hand fighting, managed to shoot and bash a gap through the swarming Apaches, permitting his companions to break free .

SCOTT, GEORGE D.
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 June 1876. Entered service at: Mt. Vernon, Ky. Birth: Lancaster County, Ky. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.

STIVERS, THOMAS W.
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 June 1876. Entered service at: Mt. Vernon, Ky. Birth: Madison County, Ky. Date of issue: 5 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.

WELCH, CHARLES H.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-26 June 1876. Entered service at: Ft. Snelling, Minn. Birth: New York, N.Y. Date of issue 5 October 1878. Citation: Voluntarily brought water to the wounded under fire.

MURANAGA, KIYOSHI K.: Private First Class Kiyoshi K. Muranaga distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 26 June 1944, near Suvereto, Italy. Private First Class Muranaga’s company encountered a strong enemy force in commanding positions and with superior firepower. An enemy 88mm self-propelled gun opened direct fire on the company, causing the men to disperse and seek cover. Private First Class Muranaga’s mortar squad was ordered to action, but the terrain made it impossible to set up their weapons. The squad leader, realizing the vulnerability of the mortar position, moved his men away from the gun to positions of relative safety. Because of the heavy casualties being inflicted on his company, Private First Class Muranaga, who served as a gunner, attempted to neutralize the 88mm weapon alone. Voluntarily remaining at his gun position, Private First Class Muranaga manned the mortar himself and opened fire on the enemy gun at a range of approximately 400 yards. With his third round, he was able to correct his fire so that the shell landed directly in front of the enemy gun. Meanwhile, the enemy crew, immediately aware of the source of mortar fire, turned their 88mm weapon directly on Private First Class Muranaga’s position. Before Private First Class Muranaga could fire a fourth round, an 88mm shell scored a direct hit on his position, killing him instantly. Because of the accuracy of Private First Class Muranaga’s previous fire, the enemy soldiers decided not to risk further exposure and immediately abandoned their position. Private First Class Muranaga’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

Whilst on the topic of the Seventh, a timely caveat emptor:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Rare-7th-Cavalry- ... 286.c0.m14

These are German cartridge boxes.

Whilst on the topic of the Seventh, a timely caveat emptor:

These are German cartridge boxes.

They sure are.

More items are attributed to the 7th Cavalry than even a moderate degree of skepticism would support.

And no battle has been subject to more improbably arm chair generalling that the Battle of the Little Big Horn. I've long felt that anyone who had a slight knowledge of horses, and visited the battlefield would feel ". . . well. . . of course". Not much mystery in it. But it's reinterpreted and reinterpreted.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

WARD Charles: Private. The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, British Army. On the 26th June, 1900, at Lindley, a picquet of the Yorkshire Light Infantry was surrounded on three sides by about 500 Boers, at close quarters. The two Officers were wounded and all but six of their men were killed or wounded. Private Ward then volunteered to take a message asking for reinforcements to the Signalling Station about 150 yards in the rear of the post. His offer was at first refused owing to the practical certainty of his being shot; but, on his insisting, he was allowed to go. He got across untouched through a storm of shots from each flank, and, having delivered his message, he voluntarily returned from a place of absolute safety, and recrossed the fire-swept ground to assure his Commanding Officer that the message had been sent. On this occasion he was severely wounded. But for this gallant action the post would certainly have been captured

JACKSON William. Corporal. Australian forces. 26 June 1916. Heroism in returning to no man's land to rescue a wounded comrade.

AGANSING RAI: Naik in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army. 26 June 1944. Under withering fire Agansing Rai and his party charged a machine-gun. Agansing Rai himself killed three of the crew. When the first position had been taken, he then led a dash on a machine-gun firing from the jungle, where he killed three of the crew, his men accounting for the rest. He subsequently tackled an isolated bunker single-handed, killing all four occupants. The enemy were now so demoralised that they fled and the second post was recaptured.

NETRABAHADUR THAPA: Subedar, 5th Roay Gurkah Rifles, Indian Army. 25–26 June 1944. While in command of a small isolated hill post at Bishenpur, Burma when the Japanese army attacked in force, his men, inspired by their leader's example, held their ground and the enemy were beaten off, but casualties were very heavy and reinforcements were requested. When these arrived some hours later they also suffered heavy casualties. Thapa retrieved the reinforcements' ammunition himself and mounted an offensive with grenades and kukris, until he was killed.

[Trooper]

June 27

1497 Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London, England.

1709 Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava.

1743 – At the Battle of Dettingen George II personally leads troops into battle, the last time that a British monarch would command troops in the field.

1759 General James Wolfe begins the siege of Quebec.

1776 Thomas Hickey, who plotted to hand George Washington over to British, was hanged.

1778 The Liberty Bell came home to Philadelphia after the British left.

1806 British forces take Buenos Aires during the first British invasions of the Río de la Plata.

June 27

1829 - In Genoa, Italy, English scientist James Smithson dies after a long illness, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to "the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge."

1862 Battle of Gaines’ Mill on the third day of the Seven Days Battle in Virginia.

1863 Skirmish at Fairfax Courthouse in Virginia.

1864 Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

1874 - Using new high-powered rifles to devastating effect, 28 buffalo hunters repulse a much larger force of attacking Indians at an old trading post in the Texas panhandle called Adobe Walls. The hunters .50 caliber Sharps rifles represented the latest technology in long-range, rapid firing weaponry. Already skilled marksmen, the buffalo hunters used the rifles to deadly effect, decimating the warriors before they came close enough even to return effective fire. On the second day of the siege, one hunter reportedly hit an Indian warrior at a distance of eight-tenths of a mile. Despite their overwhelmingly superior numbers, after three days the Indians concluded that Adobe Walls could not be taken and withdrew.

The extreme longshot was taken by Willie Dixon. Dixon always stated that hitting the Indian was an accident, and he really hadn't expected to hit him.

Re the 1874 entry above, it's interesting to note that this is one of a series of battles that were fought with the then new big black powder cartridge. That type of cartridge turned the tide in 1867 at the Wagon Box Fight, and it may very well have made the difference at Adobe Walls.

It'd be easy to say that it didn't turn the tide in the 1876 event noted above, but perhaps defensively it did. Those of the 7th under Reno and Benteen who made it back up into the hills did manage to hold off a much more numerous opponent until that opponent withdrew.

Billy Dixon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Dixon

1898 Lewis "Chesty" Puller, Marine, born.

1905 The Potemkin Mutiny occurs.

1916 The 4th Marine Regiment defeated Dominican rebels in a stand-up bayonet attack..

1918 First use of parachutes to escape an aircraft in combat by two German airmen.

1923 Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH-4B biplane.

1927 The U.S.M.C. adopted the English bulldog as their mascot.

1929 Scientists at Bell Laboratories in New York revealed a system for transmitting television pictures.

1940 Francisco Franco sacks Air Minister Maj. Gen Juan Yagüe, for plotting a pro-Axis coup.

1941 The Germans capture Bialystock.

1941 The Romanian governmental forces, allies of Nazi Germany, launch one of the most violent pogroms in Jewish history in the city of Iaşi, resulting in the murder of at least 13,266 Jews.

1942 FBI captures 8 Nazi saboteurs, landed by u-boat on Long Island

1944 American forces completed their capture of the French port of Cherbourg.

1945 Victory parade in Moscow.

1945 The FCC allocates airwaves for 13 TV stations.

1950 North Korean troops reach Seoul.

1950 US sends 35 military advisers to South Vietnam.

1976 First women cadets enter the Air Force Academy

1980 President Jimmy Carter signed legislation reviving draft registration.

1980 Canadian Parliament passes National Anthem Act, declaring Calixa Lavallée's 'O Canada' the national anthem replacing God Save the Queen.

1985 Route 66 decertified as a U.S. highway.

1995 Royal Canadian Mounted Police grants an exclusive marketing license to its likeness and image to the Walt Disney Company, who will pay the force royalties and control copyright infringement.

Congressional Medals of Honor for action on this day:

BUTTERFIELD, DANIEL: Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Gaines Mill, Va., 27 June 1862. Entered service at: Washington, D.C. Born: 31 October 1831, Utica, N.Y. Date of issue: 26 September 1892. Citation: Seized the colors of the 83d Pennsylvania Volunteers at a critical moment and, under a galling fire of the enemy, encouraged the depleted ranks to renewed exertion.

DAVIS, CHARLES C.: Major, 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Shelbyville, Tenn., 27 June 1863. Entered service at: Harrisburg, Pa. Born: 15 August 1830, Harrisburg, Pa. Date of issue: 14 June 1894. Citation: Led one of the most desperate and successful charges of the war.

HALL, HENRY SEYMOUR: Second Lieutenant, Company G, 27th New York Infantry; and Captain, Company F, 121st New York Infantry. Place and date. At Gaines Mill, Va., 27 June 1862. At Rappallannock Station, Va., 7 November 1863. Entered service at: New York. Birth: New York. Date of issue: 17 August 1891. Citation: Although wounded at Gaines Mill, Va., he remained on duty and participated in the battle with his company. At Rappahannock Station, Va., while acting as aide, rendered gallant and prompt assistance in reforming the regiments inside the enemy's works.

HOPKINS, CHARLES F.: Corporal, Company I, 1st New Jersey Infantry. Place and date: At Gaines Mill, Va., 27 June 1862. Entered service at:------. Birth: Warren County, N.J. Date of issue: 9 July 1892. Citation: Voluntarily carried a wounded comrade, under heavy fire, to a place of safety; though twice wounded in the act, he continued in action until again severely wounded.

KAISER, JOHN: Sergeant, Company E, 2d U.S. Artillery. Place and date: At Richmond, Va., 27 June 1862. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 2 April 1878. Citation: Gallant and meritorious service during the 7 days' battles before Richmond, Va.

MOFFITT, JOHN H.: Corporal, Company C, 16th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Gaines Mill, Va., 27 June 1862. Entered service at: Plattsburg, N.Y. Born. 8 January 1843, Chazy, Clinton County, N.Y. Date of issue: 3 March 1891. Citation: Voluntarily took up the regimental colors after several color bearers had been shot down and carried them until himself wounded.

SIDMAN, GEORGE E.: Private, Company C, 16th Michigan Infantry. Place and date: At Gaines Mill, Va., 27 June 1862. Entered service at: Owosso, Mich. Born: 25 November 1844, Rochester, N.Y. Date of issue: 6 April 1892. Citation: Distinguished bravery in battle. Rallied his comrades to charge vastly superior force until wounded in the hip. He was a 16_year_old drummer.

VON VEGESACK, ERNEST: Major and Aide_de_Camp, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Gaines Mill, Va., 27 June 1862. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Sweden. Date of issue: 23 August 1893. Citation: While voluntarily serving as aide_de_camp, successfully and advantageously charged the position of troops under fire.

WEBBER, ALASON P.: Musician, 86th Illinois Infantry. Place and date: At Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., 27 June 1864. Entered service at: Illinois. Birth: Greene County, N.Y. Date of issue: 22 June 1896. Citation: Voluntarily joined in a charge against the enemy, which was repulsed, and by his rapid firing in the face of the enemy enabled many of the wounded to return to the Federal lines; with others, held the advance of the enemy while temporary works were being constructed.

WILLIAMS, GEORGE C.: Quartermaster Sergeant, 1st Battalion, 14th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Gaines Mill, Va., 27 June 1862. Entered service at:------. Birth: England. Date of issue: 28 August 1897. Citation: While on duty with the wagon train as quartermaster sergeant he voluntarily left his place of safety in the rear, joined a company, and fought with distinguished gallantry through the action.

THOMPSON, HENRY: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Biography not available. Citation: For rescuing a man from drowning at Mare Island, Calif., 27 June 1878.

BOWEN, HAMMETT L., JR.: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 27 June 1969. Entered service at: Jacksonville, Fla. Born: 30 November 1947, Lagrange, Ga. Citation: S/Sgt. Bowen distinguished himself while serving as a platoon sergeant during combat operations in Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam. S/Sgt. Bowen's platoon was advancing on a reconnaissance mission into enemy controlled terrain when it came under the withering crossfire of small arms and grenades from an enemy ambush force. S/Sgt. Bowen placed heavy suppressive fire on the enemy positions and ordered his men to fall back. As the platoon was moving back, an enemy grenade was thrown amid S/Sgt. Bowen and 3 of his men. Sensing the danger to his comrades, S/Sgt. Bowen shouted a warning to his men and hurled himself on the grenade, absorbing the explosion with his body while saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. S/Sgt. Bowen's extraordinary courage and concern for his men at the cost of his life served as an inspiration to his comrades and are in the highest traditions of the military service and the U.S. Army.

MURPHY, MICHAEL P.: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, Naval Special Warfare Task Unit. Place and Date: Asadabad, Konar Province, Afghanistan, 27 - 28 June 2005. Entered Service at: Patchogue, New York. Born: 7 May 1976, Smithtown, New York Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as the leader of a special reconnaissance element with Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Afghanistan on 27 and 28 June 2005. While leading a mission to locate a high-level anti-coalition militia leader, Lieutenant Murphy demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of grave danger in the vicinity of Asadabad, Konar Province, Afghanistan. On 28 June 2005, operating in an extremely rugged enemy-controlled area, Lieutenant Murphy’s team was discovered by anti-coalition militia sympathizers, who revealed their position to Taliban fighters. As a result, between 30 and 40 enemy fighters besieged his four-member team. Demonstrating exceptional resolve, Lieutenant Murphy valiantly led his men in engaging the large enemy force. The ensuing fierce firefight resulted in numerous enemy casualties, as well as the wounding of all four members of the team. Ignoring his own wounds and demonstrating exceptional composure, Lieutenant Murphy continued to lead and encourage his men. When the primary communicator fell mortally wounded, Lieutenant Murphy repeatedly attempted to call for assistance for his beleaguered teammates. Realizing the impossibility of communicating in the extreme terrain, and in the face of almost certain death, he fought his way into open terrain to gain a better position to transmit a call. This deliberate, heroic act deprived him of cover, exposing him to direct enemy fire. Finally achieving contact with his headquarters, Lieutenant Murphy maintained his exposed position while he provided his location and requested immediate support for his team. In his final act of bravery, he continued to engage the enemy until he was mortally wounded, gallantly giving his life for his country and for the cause of freedom. By his selfless leadership, courageous actions, and extraordinary devotion to duty, Lieutenant Murphy reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Victoria Crosses awarded for action on this day:

WAKENSHAW Adam Herbert: Private, 9th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, British Army. On the 27th June, 1942, south of Mersa Matruh, Private Wakenshaw was a member of the crew of a 2-pounder anti-tank gun. An enemy tracked vehicle towing a light gun came within short range. The gun crew opened fire and succeeded in immobilising the enemy vehicle. Another mobile gun came into action, killed or seriously wounded the crew manning the 2-pounder, including Private Wakenshaw, and silenced the 2-pounder. Under intense fire, Private Wakenshaw crawled back to his gun. Although his left arm was blown off, he loaded the gun with one arm and fired five more rounds, setting the tractor on fire and damaging the light gun. A direct hit on the ammunition finally killed him and destroyed the gun. This act of conspicuous gallantry prevented the enemy from using their light gun on the infantry Company which was only 200 yards away. It was through the self sacrifice and courageous devotion to duty of this infantry anti-tank gunner that the Company was enabled to withdraw and to embus in safety.

[Trooper]

June 28

June 28, 1491 Henry VIII of England born. Henry's character stands out in the public imagination for his dissolution and solution to marital strife much to the distraction from the valuable accomplishments of his long and able reign. Pertinent to this forum: following the lead of his father he made great strides in improving and increasing the cavalry; promoted racing; and enacted laws encouraging selective breeding by restricting grazing rights for inferior stock, gelding, and the importation of Mediterranean breeds. He is also credited with improving the artillery by devices of his own invention, and built a navy which on his passing left to his daughter a country on the ascendent. True, his reputation is tarnished by his weaknesses, but nobody's perfect. He was an expert horseman, archer and, by many accounts, an all around good guy.

Regarding Henry VIII being "by many accounts, an all around good guy". I suppose your opinion on that depends on whether your name is Boleyn or not.

Like many tyrants, it also would depend on whether a person agreed with him or not. Those in his favor, were in his favor. Those who fell out of it, for whatever reason, including their own personal integrity, did not always fare well, such as Thomas More.

1776 - Jefferson's document was placed before the Congress after some minor changes by Adams and Franklin. This event was immortalized in the painting by John Trumball.

1778. Battle of Monmouth occurs in the Revolution, giving us the enduring legend of Molly Pitcher.

1902 - Congress passed the Spooner bill, authorizing a canal to be built across the isthmus of Panama. The US purchased a concession to build Panama canal from French for $40 million. (I'll bet the French were tickled to get the 40 Million)

1914 - "Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, while riding in an Austro-Daimler that was chauffeured by Otto Merz, a Mercedes team driver. The assassination resulted in the outbreak of World War I. The archduke and his wife, Sophie, rode into Sarajevo in a motorcade consisting of four cars; the royals occupied the second. On the way to the City Hall as they crossed the Milijacka River at Cumuria Bridge, Serbian nationalist Nedjelko Cabrinovic threw a bomb at the Daimler carrying the archduke and his wife. Franz Ferdinand managed to deflect the bomb onto the street. About a dozen people, including Sophie, who was hit in the face with shrapnel, suffered injuries, but no one was killed. The assassin swallowed a cyanide pill and jumped off the bridge. Unfortunately, he coughed up the pill and landed in only a foot of water. He was taken into custody. The first two cars of the motorcade continued on their way to the Sarajevo City Hall. Upon his arrival at the welcome ceremony, Franz Ferdinand interrupted the mayor's speech, seizing him by the arm and crying, "One comes here to visit and is received with bombs. Mr. Mayor, what do you say?" He later calmed down and finished his own speech with a reaffirming pledge of his regard for the people of Sarajevo. After the speech, Franz Ferdinand ordered his chauffeur to carry him to the hospital to visit the victims of the bomb; Sophie accompanied him. Their driver took a wrong turn after crossing the Imperial Bridge and the car ended up on a street named after Franz Ferdinand's father, Franz Josef. Noticing his mistake, the driver applied the brakes and the car came to a halt a foot short of another Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip. Princip fired his pistol into the car, striking the archduke in the neck and his wife in the stomach. In shock and unaware that she had been wounded, Sophie cried to her husband, "For heaven's sake, what's happened to you?" Franz Ferdinand keeled over whispering "Es ist nichts, Es ist nichts..." A lengthy investigation into the conspiracy failed to prove any complicity in the plot on the part of the Serbian government. Nevertheless, the Austrians sent their army into Serbia and World War I was born".

Quote from Today in U.S. Military History.

1919 (Ironically, the same day 5 years later) At the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, Germany signs the Treaty of Versailles with the Allies, officially ending World War I.

1935 - FDR ordered a federal gold vault to be built at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

1976 - The first women entered the U.S. Air Force Academy.

1996 - The Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school.

[Trooper]

Re: June 29:
I'm afraid the calendar has let us down today as there are no entries
Feel free to add those of military horse interest if you are aware of any for today's date.

[Trooper]

June 30

1834 - Congress placed the Marine Corps under Navy jurisdiction.

1876 - "After a slow two-day march, the wounded soldiers from the Battle of the Little Big Horn reach the steamboat Far West. The Far West had been leased by the U.S. Army for the duration of the 1876 campaign against the hostile Sioux and Cheyenne Indians of the Northern Plains. Under the command of the skilled civilian Captain Grant Marsh, the 190-foot vessel was ideal for navigating the shallow waters of the Upper Missouri River system. The boat drew only 20 inches of water when fully laden and Marsh managed to steam up the shallow Big Horn River in southern Montana in June 1876. There, the boat became a headquarters for the army's planned attack on a village of Sioux and Cheyenne they believed were camping on the nearby Little Big Horn River. On June 28, Captain Grant and several other men were fishing about a mile from the boat when a young Indian on horseback approached. "He wore an exceedingly dejected countenance," one man later wrote. By signing and drawing on the ground, the Indian managed to convey that there had been a battle but the men did not understand its outcome. In fact, the Indian was Curley, one of Lieutenant Colonel George Custer's Crow scouts. Three days earlier, he had been the last man to see Custer and his 7th Cavalry battalion before they were wiped out during the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The following day, Grant received a dispatch from General Terry, who had found Custer's destroyed battalion and the surviving soldiers of the 7th Cavalry. Terry ordered Grant to prepare to evacuate the wounded soldiers. Slowed by the burden of carrying the wounded men, Terry's force did not arrive until June 30. Grant immediately received the 54 wounded soldiers and sped downstream as quickly as possible. With the Far West draped in black and flying her flag at half-mast, Grant delivered the wounded to Fort Abraham Lincoln near Bismarck, North Dakota, at 11:00 p.m. on July 5. The fast and relatively comfortable transport of the wounded by steam power undoubtedly saved numerous lives. Yet, Grant was also the bearer of bad news. From Fort Abraham Lincoln, General Terry's report of the disaster was telegraphed all over the country. Soon the entire nation learned that General Custer and more than 200 men had been massacred along the Little Big Horn River".

1882 - Charles Guiteau the assassin of President Garfield was hanged in a Washington jail.


Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

BELL, DENNIS
Rank and organization: Private, Troop H, 10th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Tayabacoa, Cuba, 30 June 1898. Entered service at: Washington, D.C. Birth: Washington, D.C. Date of issue: 23 June 1899. Citation: Voluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts at rescue had been frustrated.

LEE, FITZ
Rank and organization: Private, Troop M, 10th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Tayabacoa, Cuba, 30 June 1898. Entered service at: Dinwiddie County, Va. Birth: Dinwiddie County, Va. Date of issue: 23 June 1899. Citation: Voluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts had been frustrated.

THOMPKINS, WILLIAM H.
Rank and organization: Private, Troop G, 10th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Tayabacoa, Cuba, 30 June 1898. Entered service at: Paterson, N.J. Birth: Paterson, N.J. Date of issue: 23 June 1899. Citation. Voluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts at rescue had been frustrated.

WANTON, GEORGE H. (First black man to receive Medal of Honor )
Rank and organization: Private, Troop M, 10th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Tayabacoa, Cuba, 30 June 1898. Entered service at: Paterson, N.J. Birth: Paterson, N.J. Date of issue: 23 June 1899. Citation: Voluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts at rescue had been frustrated.

1815 USS Peacock takes HMS Nautilus, last action of the War of 1812.

1863 Union and Confederate cavalries clashed at Hanover, Pennsylvania

1864. Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act. The legislation gave California the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove "upon the express conditions that the premises shall be held for public use, resort, and recreation."



1908 An asteroid exploded above Tunguska in Siberia, leaving 800 square miles of scorched or flattened trees.

1917 Jazz singer Lena Horne was born in Brooklyn, N.Y.

1921 Warren G. Harding appointed former President William Howard Taft chief justice of the United States.

1934 Adolf Hitler began his "blood purge" of political and military leaders in Germany in "The Night of the Long Knives."

1936 The novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell was published.

1940 German forces occupy the Channel Islands.

1941 The German Second Panzer Group captures Bobryusk, Russia.

1941 Soviet western front commander, General Dmitri Pavlov, and his leading officers are executed for incompetence.

1941 Vichy severs diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

1941 The German 163.Infanterie-Division was allowed to cross neutral Sweden, without it's arms, from Norway to Finland to became part of Mannerheim's Finnish Karelian Corps by 30 June, 1941.

1941 An Australian squadron flying American-model aircraft, shot down a formation of 6 Vichy-French Glenn Martin bombers in aerial combat over North Africa.

1941 The Biritsh Maud Committee concludes that it is possible to build a bomb based on nuclear fission. Such a bomb containing 25 pounds of active material would produce an effect equivalent to 1,800 tons of TNT, as well as large quantities of radioactive substances. The material for the first bomb could be ready by 1944 in the committee's view.

1942 British newspapers report that the Nazis have killed over a million Jews in occupied Europe.

1943 Operation Cartwheel launched at Pacific, which featured a multi-pronged assault on Rabaul and several islands in the Solomon Sea.

1943 The French West Indies decide to dump Vichy and throw in with the Free French.

1943 A force composed of Australians and Americans, known as the McKechine Force lands at Nassau Bay near Salamaua, New Guinea. As part of this, the USN's Task Force 76 lands the 112th Cavalry Regiment and the 158th Infantry Regiment, on Woodlark and Kiriwina Islands in Nassau Bay. The action was principally American, but Australians participated in the landings.

1944 The United States breaks diplomatic relations with Finland.

1944 Finland and the Soviet Union fight the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, with the Finns largely prevailing in the defense.

1950 Three days after the United Nations Security Council voted to provide military assistance to South Korea, President Truman orders U.S. armed forces to assist in defending that nation from invading North Korean armies.

1955 The U.S. began funding West Germany’s rearmament.

1957 The American occupation headquarters in Japan was dissolved

1971 The 26th Amendment to the Constitution, lowering the minimum voting age to 18, was ratified as Ohio became the 38th state to approve it.

1971 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the release of the Pentagon Papers.

1997 The Union Jack was lowered for the last time over Government House in Hong Kong.

[Pat Holscher]

Re: June 29:
I'm afraid the calendar has let us down today as there are no entries
Feel free to add those of military horse interest if you are aware of any for today's date.

That darned lazy calendar! Not only is it taking the summer off, it's slacking off!

Well, here's one:

1969 The Jimi Hendrix Experience, fronted of course by former paratrooper James Marshall Hendricks, played their last concert on the last day of the Denver Pop Festival. After this, Hendrix would play with The Band of Gypsies, whom he felt more kinship with, being composed of personal musical fellows with a similar blues background, and whom he'd met in the Army.

[Pat Holscher]

June 30

1868 Fort Fred Steele established where the Union Pacific Railroad crossed the North Platte River.

1955 The United States began funding West German rearmament.

[selewis]

June 28, 1872 d. Ronald, survivor of Balaclava (the Earl of Cardigan's horse)

[Calendar]

July 1

One of those really big days in history.

Today in Canada Day

776 BC The First Olympiad begins.

1520 Conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés fight their way out of Tenochtitlan.

1559 King Henry II of France mortally wounded in a jousting match against Gabriel de Montgomery.

1656 The first Quakers, Mary Fisher and Ann Austin, arrived in Boston and were arrested.

1690 Battle of the Boyne. William III defeats James II.

1759 Brigadier General Robert Monckton captures Point Lévis.

1776 The Continental Congress, sitting as a committee, met to debate a resolution submitted by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee which stated that the United Colonies "are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States." The committee voted for the motion.

1777 John Burgoyne reaches Fort Ticonderoga and starts a week-long siege.

1782 American privateers raid Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

1794 Blue Jacket attacks Fort Recovery.

1802 Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, born.

1812 Upper Canada gives US citizens fourteen days to leave the province.

1823 United Provinces of Central America gain independence from Mexico. They did not remain united.

1833 Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert, Brig Gen, U.S., born.

1837 William Lyon Mackenzie helps found the Committee of Vigilance of Upper Canada in order to form a provisional revolutionary government for Upper Canada.

1850 Naval School at Annapolis renamed Naval Academy.

1851 The Naval Academy adopts a four year course of study.

1861 Skirmish at Falling Waters/Martinsburg, Maryland sees the Union prevail.

1861 The US War Department ordered that Kansas and Tennessee be canvassed for volunteers.

1861 The first stagecoaches to use the Northern (Central) Route via Forts Kearny, Laramie and Bridger began to use that route, which was no doubt rather dangerous at the time.

1862 The US outlawed polygamy by way of the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act which also granted large tracts of public land to the states with the directive to sell for the support of institutions teaching the mechanical and agricultural arts. It also obligated state male university students to military training. The education initiative resulted in 68 land-grant colleges.

1862 Day 7 of the 7 Day's Battle.

1862 Battle of Holly Spring, Massachusetts.

1862 US initiates income tax of incomes of $600 or more to help finance the Civil War.

1862 Battle of Booneville Massachusetts sees Gen. Beauregard evacuates Corinth.

1863 Day one of the epic battle of Gettysburg sees Lee's Confederate Army of Virginia largely gain the upper hand.


Gettysburg in 1913.

1864 Battle of Petersburg commences.

1867 The Dominion of Canada formed.

1870 James W Smith becomes the first black man to enter West Point.

1872 Louis Bleriot, first to fly an airplane across English Channel, born.

1873 Henry Flipper of Georgia becomes the second black man to enter West Point.

1898 - "As part of their campaign to capture Spanish-held Santiago de Cuba on the southern coast of Cuba, the U.S. Army Fifth Corps engages Spanish forces at El Caney and San Juan Hill. In May 1898, one month after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, a Spanish fleet docked in the Santiago de Cuba harbor after racing across the Atlantic from Spain. A superior U.S. naval force arrived soon after and blockaded the harbor entrance. In June, the U.S. Army Fifth Corps landed on Cuba with the aim of marching to Santiago and launching a coordinated land and sea assault on the Spanish stronghold. Included among the U.S. ground troops were the Theodore Roosevelt-led "Rough Riders," a collection of Western cowboys and Eastern blue bloods officially known as the First U.S. Voluntary Cavalry. The U.S. Army Fifth Corps fought its way to Santiago's outer defenses, and on July 1 U.S. General William Shafter ordered an attack on the village of El Caney and San Juan Hill. Shafter hoped to capture El Caney before besieging the fortified heights of San Juan Hill, but the 500 Spanish defenders of the village put up a fierce resistance and held off 10 times their number for most of the day. Although El Caney was not secure, some 8,000 Americans pressed forward toward San Juan Hill. Hundreds fell under Spanish gunfire before reaching the base of the heights, where the force split up into two flanks to take San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill. The Rough Riders were among the troops in the right flank attacking Kettle Hill. When the order was given by Lieutenant John Miley that "the heights must be taken at all hazards," the Rough Riders, who had been forced to leave their horses behind because of transportation difficulties, led the charge up the hills. The Rough Riders and the black soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments were the first up Kettle Hill, and San Juan Hill was taken soon after. From the crest, the Americans found themselves overlooking Santiago, and the next day they began a siege of the city. On July 3, the Spanish fleet was destroyed off Santiago by U.S. warships under Admiral William Sampson, and on July 17 the Spanish surrendered the city--and thus Cuba--to the Americans".

Quote from: http://tdiumh.blogspot.com/2005/07/july-1.html

1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, immediately post battle.

1903 Amy Johnson, first woman to fly England to Australia, born.

1903 Geronimo is baptized in the Methodist Church.

1911 The trial of first Navy aircraft, Curtiss A-1, occurs.

1913 Serbia and Greece declare war on Bulgaria.

1915 Canadian Army sets up Hospital Commission.

1916 - British, Commonwealth and French troops launch the battle of the Somme. In the costliest day of fighting in its history the British army suffers approximately 60,000 casualties in the first 24 hours. Around 20,000 of those are KIAs.

I saw an interview with a Canadian veteran of the Somme. He was in his nineties at the time. The first wave of the Canadian first division had gone over the top. Most of them made less than 30 yards from the trench. This gentleman was in the second wave. It was said that when the second wave went over the top the machine gun fire was so heavy that men instinctively ducked their heads, chin down against their chests as you do when stepping into a driving rain. The interviewer asked the old man, "When you had seen what happened to the first wave, why did you go?" The old man stopped and thought for several moments then replied, "I'm damned if I know, I suppose I didn't want to let my mates down."

1919. Prohibition went into effect. This is partially related to a military event, as the final push for prohibition really came about due to World War One. There was a fear that the returning troops, exposed to the joys of French wine, might return to the US to booze it up and engage in vices. Prohibition was passed partially as an effort to counter that.

I can't help but note that Prohibition went into effect immediately prior to the big 4th of July Holiday.

1940 German troops occupy the Channel Islands.

1942 The Germans capture Sevastopol.

1943 Marine 4th Raider Bn captures Viru Harbor on New Georgia.

1943 "Pay-as-you-go" income tax withholding began.

1945 Australians land at Balikpapan, Borneo.

1946 US atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll sees the world's 4th nuclear explosion.

1950 First US ground troops arrive in Korea.

1956 The Highway Revenue Act of 1956 was put into effect by Congress with the goal of creating a fund for the construction of over 42,500 miles of Interstate Highways 13 years.

1960 The Congo gains independence from Belgium.

1961 British troops land in Kuwait to prevent an Iraqi invasion. Hmmm. . . . seems like that might have happened twice.

1962 Belgian "Trust Territories" of Burundi and Rwanda became independent.

1968 The United States, UK, USSR and 58 other nations signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty

1969 Prince Charles is invested as the Prince of Wales.

1997 The UK turns Hong Kong over to the PRC.

Congressional Medals of Honor awarded for action on this day:

BRONNER, AUGUST F.: Civil War. Private, Company C, 1st New York Artillery. Place and date: At White Oak Swamp, Va., 30 June 1862. At Malvern Hill, Va., 1 July 1862. Citation: Continued to fight after being severely wounded.

COATES, JEFFERSON: Civil War. Sergeant, Company H, 7th Wisconsin Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1 July 1863. Citation: Unsurpassed courage in battle, where he had both eyes shot out.

GILLIGAN, EDWARD L.: Civil War. First Sergeant, Company E, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1 July 1863. Citation: Assisted in the capture of a Confederate flag by knocking down the color sergeant.

HUIDEKOPER, HENRY S.: Civil War. Lieutenant Colonel, 150th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1 July 1863. Citation: While engaged in repelling an attack of the enemy, received a severe wound of the right arm, but instead of retiring remained at the front in command of the regiment.

IRSCH, FRANCIS: Civil War. Captain, Company D, 45th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1 July 1863. Citation: Gallantry in flanking the enemy and capturing a number of prisoners and in holding a part of the town against heavy odds while the Army was rallying on Cemetery Hill.

OSBORNE, WILLIAM H.: Civil War. Private, Company C, 29th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Malvern Hill, Va., 1 July 1862. Citation: Although wounded and carried to the rear, he secured a rifle and voluntarily returned to the front, where, failing to find his own regiment, he joined another and fought with it until again severely wounded and taken prisoner.

RAFFERTY, PETER: Civil War. : Private, Company B, 69th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Malvern Hill, Va., 1 July 1862. Citation: Having been wounded and directed to the rear, declined to go, but continued in action, receiving several additional wounds, which resulted in his capture by the enemy and his total disability for military service.

REISINGER, J. MONROE: Civil War. Corporal, Company H, 150th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1 July 1863. Citation: Specially brave and meritorious conduct in the face of the enemy. Awarded under Act of Congress, January 25, 1907.

RIPLEY, WILLIAM Y. W.: Civil War. : Lieutenant Colonel, 1st U.S. Sharpshooters. Place and date: At Malvern Hill, Va., 1 July 1862. Citation: At a critical moment brought up two regiments, which he led against the enemy himself, being severely wounded.

RUTTER, JAMES M.: Civil War. Sergeant, Company C, 143d Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1 July 1863. Citation: At great risk of his life went to the assistance of a wounded comrade, and while under fire removed him to a place of safety.

SELLERS, ALFRED J.: Civil War. Major, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1 July 1863. Citation: Voluntarily led the regiment under a withering fire to a position from which the enemy was repulsed.

TOBIN, JOHN M.: Civil War. First Lieutenant and Adjutant, 9th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Malvern Hill, Va., 1 July 1862. Citation: Voluntarily took command of the 9th Massachusetts while adjutant, bravely fighting from 3 p.m. until dusk, rallying and re_forming the regiment under fire; twice picked up the regimental flag, the color bearer having been shot down, and placed it in worthy hands.

WALLER, FRANCIS A.: Civil War. Corporal, Company I, 6th Wisconsin Infantry. Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 1 July 1863. Citation: Capture of flag of 2d Mississippi Infantry (C.S.A.).

AHERN, WILLIAM: Peacetime award. Watertender, U.S. Navy. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Puritan at the time of the collapse of one of the crown sheets of boiler E of that vessel, 1 July 1897. Wrapped in wet cloths to protect his face and arms, Ahern entered the fireroom, crawled over the tops of the boilers and closed the auxiliary stop valve, disconnecting boiler E and removing the danger of disabling the other boilers.

WILSON, AUGUST: Peacetime award. Boilermaker, U.S. Navy. Citation: For gallant conduct while serving on board the U.S.S. Puritan and at the time of the collapse of one of the crown sheets of boiler E on that vessel, 1 July 1897. Wrapping wet cloths about his face and arms, Wilson entered the fireroom and opened the safety valve, thus removing the danger of disabling the other boilers.

BAKER, EDWARD L., JR. Spanish American War. : Sergeant Major, 10th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Birth: Laramie County, Wyo. Date of issue: 3 July 1902. Citation: Left cover and, under fire, rescued a wounded comrade from drowning.


Baker is a very unusual example of a black soldier in the segregated Army as he was promoted to the rank of Captain following the Spanish American War and retired at that rank in 1902. He was in a command position, at that rank, in the 49th Infantry.

BERG, GEORGE: Spanish American War. Private, Company C, 17th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and while under heavy fire of the enemy.

BROOKIN, OSCAR: Spanish American War. Private, Company C, 17th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898. ECitation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

BUZZARD, ULYSSES G.: Spanish American War. Corporal, Company C, 17th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

CANTRELL, CHARLES P.: Spanish American War. Private, Company F, 10th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

CUMMINS, ANDREW J.: Spanish American War. Sergeant, Company F, 10th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire of the enemy.

DE SWAN, JOHN F.: Spanish American War. Private, Company H, 21st U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 22 June 1899. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

DOHERTY, THOMAS M.: Spanish American War. Corporal, Company H, 21st U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and while under heavy fire from the enemy.

FOURNIA, FRANK O.: Spanish American War. Private, Company H, 21st U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and while under heavy fire of the enemy.

GRAVES, THOMAS J.: Spanish American War. Private, Company C, 17th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

HARDAWAY, BENJAMIN F.: Spanish American War. First Lieutenant, 17th U .S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

KELLER, WILLIAM: Spanish American War. Private, Company F, 10th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago de Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire of the enemy.

KELLY, THOMAS: Spanish American War. Private, Company H, 21st U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago de Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and while under heavy fire from the enemy.

MILLS, ALBERT L.: Spanish American War. Captain and Assistant Adjutant General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: Near Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Distinguished gallantry in encouraging those near him by his bravery and coolness after being shot through the head and entirely without sight.

NASH, JAMES J.: Spanish American War. Private, Company F, 10th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898.Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

NEE, GEORGE H.: Spanish American War. Private, Company H, 21st U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

PFISTERER, HERMAN: Spanish American War. Musician, Company H, 21st U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

POLOND, ALFRED: Spanish American War. Private, Company F, 10th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and while under heavy fire of the enemy.

QUINN, ALEXANDER M.: Spanish American War. Sergeant, Company A, 13th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Santiago, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

RESSLER, NORMAN W.: Spanish American War. Corporal, Company D, 17th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire of the enemy.

ROBERTS, CHARLES D.: Spanish American War. Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 17th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Entered service at: Fort D. A. Russell, Wyo. Birth: Fort D. A. Russell, Wyo. Date of issue: 21 June 1899. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines under heavy fire of the enemy.

ROOSEVELT, THEODORE: Spanish American War. Lt. Col. 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. 1 July 1898. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt distinguished himself by acts of bravery on 1 July, 1898, near Santiago de Cuba, Republic of Cuba, while leading a daring charge up San Juan Hill. Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt, in total disregard for his personal safety, and accompanied by only four or five men, led a desperate and gallant charge up San Juan Hill, encouraging his troops to continue the assault through withering enemy fire over open countryside. Facing the enemy's heavy fire, he displayed extraordinary bravery throughout the charge, and was the frst to reach the enemy trenches, where he quickly killed one of the enemy with his pistol, allowing his men to continue the assault. His leadership and valor turned the tide in the Battle for San Juan Hill. Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect greet credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

SHEPHERD, WARREN J.: Spanish American War. Corporal, Company D, 17th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898.Citation. Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines under heavy fire from the enemy.

WENDE, BRUNO: Spanish American War. Private, Company C, 17th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At El Caney, Cuba, 1 July 1898. Citation: Gallantly assisted in the rescue of the wounded from in front of the lines and under heavy fire from the enemy.

Last supplemented on Sunday, July 1, 2012.