Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, First Sergeant Clay Beauford received the Medal of Honor for his actions in 1872 in Apache campaigns during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company B, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Beauford was about 25 years old.
The medal was presented on April 12, 1875, 3 years after the action.
Beauford was born in 1847 in Washington County, Maryland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. Beauford died on February 1, 1905 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of about 58. He is buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Records also list him as Bridwell, Welford Chapman.
Beauford is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 33 credited to Tennessee.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Indian Wars.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Tennessee →
Timeline
- 1847Born in Washington County, Maryland
- 1872Act of valor — Apache campaignsAge about 25. Company B, 5th U.S. Cavalry
- April 12, 1875Medal of Honor presented
- February 1, 1905Died in Los Angeles, CaliforniaAge about 58.
- Resting placeRosedale CemeteryLos Angeles, California
Biography
Clay Beauford (born Welford Chapman Bridwell; September 27, 1846 – February 1, 1905) was an American army officer, scout and frontiersman. An ex-Confederate soldier in his youth, he later enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with the 5th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars against the Plains Indians from 1869 to 1873. He acted as a guide for Lieutenant Colonel George Crook in his "winter campaign" against the Apaches and received the Medal of Honor for his conduct. From 1874 to 1877, Beauford served under Indian agent John Clum as chief of scouts and captain of the San Carlos Apache Police.
From the Wikipedia article “Clay Beauford”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
