First Sergeant Francis Oliver was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on October 20, 1869 in Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona Territory during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company G, 1st U.S. Cavalry. Oliver was about 37 years old.
32 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on December 20, 1869.
Oliver was born in 1832 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Fort Fillmore, Dona Ana County, New Mexico. Oliver died on July 28, 1880 in Lewiston, Idaho, at the age of about 48. He is buried at Normal Hill Cemetery in Lewiston, Idaho.
Oliver is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 9 credited to New Mexico.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Bravery in action.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Apache Wars, American Indian Wars.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New Mexico →
Timeline
- 1832Born in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland
- October 20, 1869Act of valor — Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona TerritoryAge about 37. Company G, 1st U.S. Cavalry
- December 20, 1869Medal of Honor presented
- July 28, 1880Died in Lewiston, IdahoAge about 48.
- Resting placeNormal Hill CemeteryLewiston, Idaho
Biography
Francis Oliver (c. 1832 – July 28, 1880) was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 1st U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He was one of thirty-two men received the Medal of Honor for gallantry against the Apache Indians in the Chiricahua Mountains, later known as the "Campaign of the Rocky Mesa", on October 20, 1869.
From the Wikipedia article “Francis Oliver (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →