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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

First Sergeant · U.S. Army

Richard Barrett

First Sergeant Richard Barrett, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 23, 1872 at Sycamore Canyon, Arizona during the Indian Campaigns.

Indian Campaigns May 23, 1872Born in Ireland

First Sergeant Richard Barrett, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on May 23, 1872 at Sycamore Canyon, Arizona during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company A, 1st U.S. Cavalry. Barrett was about 34 years old.

The medal was presented on April 12, 1875, 2 years after the action.

Barrett was born in 1838 in County Mayo, Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Buffalo, Erie County, New York. Barrett died on March 20, 1898 in Washington, District of Columbia, at the age of about 60. He is buried at Soldiers Home National Cemetery in Washington, District of Columbia.

Barrett 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

Conspicuous gallantry in a charge upon the Tonto Apaches.

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

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Indian Wars.

Places

  • Born: County Mayo — map
  • Died: Washington, D.C. — map
  • Buried: Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. 1838
    Born in County Mayo, Ireland
  2. May 23, 1872
    Act of valor — Sycamore Canyon, Arizona
    Age about 34. Company A, 1st U.S. Cavalry
  3. April 12, 1875
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. March 20, 1898
    Died in Washington, District of Columbia
    Age about 60.
  5. Resting place
    Soldiers Home National Cemetery
    Washington, District of Columbia

Biography

First Sergeant Richard Barrett (1838 – March 20, 1898) was an Irish-born American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment during the Indian Wars. He was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Apache Wars when he voluntarily led a charge against a group of hostile Tonto Apaches at Sycamore Canyon on May 23, 1872.

From the Wikipedia article “Richard Barrett (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Same unit

SH Samuel Hoover Bugler · Army Indian Campaigns · 1873 MO Moses Orr Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1872

More Indian Campaigns recipients from New York

EM Edward Murphy Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 CC Charles Cunningham Corporal · Army Indian Campaigns · 1876 GS George W. Smith Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1874 ✦ WO William O'Neill Corporal · Army Indian Campaigns · 1872 WD William de Armond Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1874 ✦ FP Frederick Platten Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1875
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.