Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Sergeant John Thompson 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. Thompson was about 27 years old.
32 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on February 24, 1870.
Thompson was born in 1842 in Glasgow, Scotland — one of 41 recipients born in Scotland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.
Thompson is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 210 credited to Illinois.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Bravery in action with Indians.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Apache Wars, American Indian Wars.
Places
- Born: Glasgow — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →
Timeline
- 1842Born in Glasgow, Scotland
- October 20, 1869Act of valor — Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona TerritoryAge about 27. Company G, 1st U.S. Cavalry
- February 24, 1870Medal of Honor presented
Biography
Sergeant John Thompson (c. 1842 – unknown) was a Scottish-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 1st U.S. Cavalry during the Apache Wars. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry against a hostile band of Apache Indians at the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona on October 20, 1869.
From the Wikipedia article “John Thompson (soldier, born 1842)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
