Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, First Sergeant Henry Wilkens received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 20, 1877 at Little Muddy Creek & Camas Meadows, Montana & Idaho during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company L, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Wilkens was about 22 years old.
One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on February 28, 1878. He later rose to the rank of Ordnance Sergeant.
Wilkens was born in 1855 in Germany — one of 130 recipients born in Germany. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York. Wilkens died on August 2, 1895, at the age of about 40. He is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Wilkens is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 678 credited to New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Bravery in actions with Indians.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Nez Perce War, American Indian Wars.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- 1855Born in Germany
- August 20, 1877Act of valor — Little Muddy Creek & Camas Meadows, Montana & IdahoAge about 22. Company L, 2d U.S. Cavalry
- February 28, 1878Medal of Honor presented
- August 2, 1895DiedAge about 40.
- Resting placeCypress Hills National CemeteryBrooklyn, New York
Biography
Henry Wilkens (1855 – August 2, 1895) was a German-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 2nd U.S. Cavalry during the Nez Perce War. In the summer of 1877, he received the Medal of Honor for two separate engagements, Little Muddy Creek and Camas Meadows, against Lame Deer and the Nez Perce in the Idaho Territory. Wilkens was one of four men who received the award for taking part in the battle of Little Muddy Creek.
From the Wikipedia article “Henry Wilkens”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
