Sergeant Charles Lawrence Thomas was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on September 17, 1865 at Powder River Expedition, Dakota Territory during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company E, 11th Ohio Cavalry. Thomas was 22 years old.
The medal was presented on August 18, 1894, 28 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Major, Ohio National Guard.
Thomas was born on February 12, 1843 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. His Medal of Honor is credited to Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. Thomas died on February 24, 1923 in Dwight, Kansas, at the age of 80. He is buried at Dwight-Morris Cemetery in Dwight, Kansas.
Thomas is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 256 credited to Ohio.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Carried a message through a country infested with hostile Indians and saved the life of a comrade en route.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Indian Wars.
Places
Timeline
- February 12, 1843Born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
- September 17, 1865Act of valor — Powder River Expedition, Dakota TerritoryAge 22. Company E, 11th Ohio Cavalry
- August 18, 1894Medal of Honor presented
- February 24, 1923Died in Dwight, KansasAge 80.
- Resting placeDwight-Morris CemeteryDwight, Kansas
Biography
Charles Lawrence Thomas (February 12, 1843 – February 24, 1923) was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for heroism in September 1865 during the Powder River Expedition in Montana and Dakota Territory.
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