First Sergeant William Allen was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on March 27, 1873 at Turret Mountain, Arizona Territory during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company I, 23d U.S. Infantry. Allen was about 27 years old.
One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on April 12, 1875, 2 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of First Lieutenant.
Allen was born in 1846 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Allen died on January 8, 1882 in Fort Mojave, Arizona, at the age of about 36. He is buried at San Francisco National Cemetery in San Francisco, California.
Allen is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Gallantry in action.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War, American Indian Wars.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →
Timeline
- 1846Born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
- March 27, 1873Act of valor — Turret Mountain, Arizona TerritoryAge about 27. Company I, 23d U.S. Infantry
- April 12, 1875Medal of Honor presented
- January 8, 1882Died in Fort Mojave, ArizonaAge about 36.
- Resting placeSan Francisco National CemeterySan Francisco, California
Biography
William Allen (c. 1845 – January 8, 1882) was a U.S. Army soldier who fought during the Indian Wars in the post-American Civil War period. Serving under Lieutenant Colonel George Crook, he participated in expeditions against the Apache in the Arizona Territory throughout the 1870s. He was one of four men who received the Medal of Honor for the Battle of Turret Peak against the Yavapai Apaches in 1873.
From the Wikipedia article “William Allen (soldier)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
