Private James Pym, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on June 25, 1876 at Little Big Horn River, Montana during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Pym was about 24 years old.
22 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on October 5, 1878, 2 years after the action.
Pym was born in 1852 in Oxford, England — one of 98 recipients born in England. His Medal of Honor is credited to Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Pym died on November 30, 1893 in Miles City, Montana, at the age of about 41. He is buried at Custer County Cemetery in Miles City, Montana. His medal is held by Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument, Crow Agency, MT.
Pym is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Voluntarily went for water and secured the same under heavy fire.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Great Sioux War of 1876, American Indian Wars.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →
Timeline
- 1852Born in Oxford, England
- June 25, 1876Act of valor — Little Big Horn River, MontanaAge about 24. Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry
- October 5, 1878Medal of Honor presented
- November 30, 1893Died in Miles City, MontanaAge about 41.
- Resting placeCuster County CemeteryMiles City, Montana
Biography
Private James Pym (1852 – November 29, 1893) was a British-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. He was one of twenty-four men who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry, Pym being among those who volunteered to carry water from the Little Bighorn River to wounded soldiers on Reno Hill, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876.
From the Wikipedia article “James Pym”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
