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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

First Lieutenant · U.S. Army

Louis Bowem Lawton

First Lieutenant Louis Bowem Lawton, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on July 13, 1900 in Tientsin, China during the Boxer Rebellion.

China Relief Expedition (Boxer Rebellion) July 13, 1900

First Lieutenant Louis Bowem Lawton was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 13, 1900 in Tientsin, China during the Boxer Rebellion. At the time he was serving with 9th U.S. Infantry. Lawton was about 28 years old.

7 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on March 11, 1902. He later rose to the rank of Major.

Lawton was born in 1872 in Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa. His Medal of Honor is credited to Auburn, Cayuga County, New York. Lawton died on July 9, 1949, at the age of about 77. He is buried at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York.

Lawton is one of 59 Medal of Honor recipients from the Boxer Rebellion and one of 678 credited to New York.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Carried a message and guided reinforcements across a wide and fire-swept space, during which he was thrice wounded.

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

Wounds and injuries

What the citation records about his wounds:

Carried a message and guided reinforcements across a wide and fire-swept space, during which he was thrice wounded.
  • Age at death: about 77
  • Resting place: Fort Hill Cemetery

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: Boxer Rebellion.

Life beyond the battlefield

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Independence — map
  • Died: Skaneateles — map
  • Buried: Fort Hill Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. 1872
    Born in Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa
  2. July 13, 1900
    Act of valor — Tientsin, China
    Age about 28. 9th U.S. Infantry
  3. March 11, 1902
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. July 9, 1949
    Died
    Age about 77.
  5. Resting place
    Fort Hill Cemetery
    Auburn, New York

Biography

Louis Bowen Lawton (March 13, 1872 – July 9, 1949) was a United States Army officer during the Boxer Rebellion who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at Tientsin, China on July 13, 1900. An 1893 graduate of West Point, Lawton was a 1st Lieutenant at Tientsin. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on March 11, 1902.

From the Wikipedia article “Louis Bowem Lawton”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on July 13, 1900

John Mapes Adams Sergeant · Marine Corps Boxer Rebellion · 1900 Harry Chapman Adriance Corporal · Marine Corps Boxer Rebellion · 1900 Andre Walker Brewster Captain · Army Boxer Rebellion · 1900 JC James Cooney Private · Marine Corps Boxer Rebellion · 1900 Clarence Edward Mathias Private · Marine Corps Boxer Rebellion · 1900 Clarence Edwin Sutton Sergeant · Marine Corps Boxer Rebellion · 1900 Robert H. von Schlick Private · Army Boxer Rebellion · 1900

Same unit

GW George Weed Wallace Second Lieutenant · Army Philippine Insurrection · 1900 Ira Clinton Welborn Second Lieutenant · Army Spanish-American War · 1898

More Boxer Rebellion recipients from New York

Edwin Nelson Appleton Corporal · Marine Corps Boxer Rebellion · 1900 EA Edward G. Allen Boatswain's Mate First Class · Navy Boxer Rebellion · 1900 TK Thomas Wilbur Kates Private · Marine Corps Boxer Rebellion · 1900 JS James A. Smith Landsman · Navy Boxer Rebellion · 1900 JM John McCloy Coxswain · Navy Boxer Rebellion · 1900 Daniel Joseph Daly Private · Marine Corps Boxer Rebellion · 1900
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.