Private Thomas W. Stivers, a soldier in the U.S. Army, was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for gallantry between June 25 and 26, 1876 in Little Big Horn, Montana during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Stivers was 25 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.
Stivers was born on July 15, 1850 in Madison County, Kentucky. His Medal of Honor is credited to Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Stivers died on June 28, 1877 in Kingston, Kentucky, at the age of 26. He is buried at Richmond Cemetery in Richmond, Kentucky. Records also list him as Stevers, Thomas W..
Stivers is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 44 credited to Kentucky.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Vountarily brought water to the wounded under fire.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
How he died
- Awarded posthumously — died June 28, 1877.
- Manner of death: homicide
- Age at death: 26
- Resting place: Richmond Cemetery
Cause and manner of death: Wikidata.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Great Sioux War of 1876, American Indian Wars.
Places
- Born: Madison County — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Kentucky →
Timeline
- July 15, 1850Born in Madison County, Kentucky
- June 25 - 26, 1876Act of valor — Little Big Horn, MontanaAge 25. Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry
- June 28, 1877Died in Kingston, KentuckyAge 26.
- October 5, 1878Medal of Honor presented posthumously
- Resting placeRichmond CemeteryRichmond, Kentucky
Biography
Private Thomas W. Stivers (July 15, 1850 – June 28, 1877), also known under the name Thomas "Tom" Stevens or Stevers, was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. One of twenty-four men to be awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, Stivers was among the soldiers who volunteered to carry water from the Little Bighorn River to the wounded on Reno Hill and awarded the Medal of Honor in 1878. He and two other fellow Kentuckians, Privates William M. Harris and George D. Scott, received the MOH for their role in the battle though Stivers received his posthumously.
From the Wikipedia article “Thomas W. Stivers”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
