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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

James Sumner

Private James Sumner, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on October 20, 1869 in Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona Territory during the Indian Campaigns.

Indian Campaigns October 20, 1869Born in England

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private James Sumner 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. Sumner was about 29 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.

Sumner was born in 1840 in London, England — one of 98 recipients born in England. His Medal of Honor is credited to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Sumner died on July 5, 1912 in Ventura, California, at the age of about 72. He is buried at Ventura Cemetery in Ventura, California.

Sumner is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 210 credited to Illinois.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Gallantry in action.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

How he died

  • Manner of death: natural causes
  • Cause of death: kidney failure
  • Age at death: about 72
  • Resting place: Ventura Cemetery

Cause and manner of death: Wikidata.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Indian Wars.

Places

  • Born: London — map
  • Died: Ventura — map
  • Buried: Cemetery Memorial Park — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →

Timeline

  1. 1840
    Born in London, England
  2. October 20, 1869
    Act of valor — Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona Territory
    Age about 29. Company G, 1st U.S. Cavalry
  3. December 20, 1869
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. July 5, 1912
    Died in Ventura, California
    Age about 72.
  5. Resting place
    Ventura Cemetery
    Ventura, California

Biography

James Sumner (1840 – July 5, 1912) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States. An English immigrant, Sumner served as a cavalryman during the Apache Wars of southeastern Arizona Territory. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for advancing through heavy fire in a skirmish against a group of Chiricahua Indians led by Cochise.

From the Wikipedia article “James Sumner (soldier)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on October 20, 1869

JC John Carr Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 CD Charles H. Dickens Corporal · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 JD John L. Donahue Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 EE Edwin L. Elwood Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 JG John Georgian Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 MH Mosher A. Harding Blacksmith · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 FJ Frederick Jarvis Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 BK Bartholomew T. Keenan Trumpeter · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 CK Charles Kelley Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 NM Nicholas Meaher Corporal · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 EM Edward Murphy Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 FO Francis Oliver First Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869

See all 33 recipients for October 20, 1869 →

More Indian Campaigns recipients from Illinois

TC Thomas Carroll Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1868 NB Neil Bancroft Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1876 JC James Spencer Calvert Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1876 JK John J. h Kelly Corporal · Army Indian Campaigns · 1874 PM Philip Murphy Corporal · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 Theodore W. b Goldin Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1876
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.