Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Julius Alexis Schou (July 17, 1849 – November 19, 1929) was an American soldier in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

who served with the 22nd U.S. Infantry during the

Sioux Wars The Sioux Wars were a series of conflicts between the United States and various subgroups of the Sioux people which occurred in the later half of the 19th century. The earliest conflict came in 1854 when a fight broke out at Fort Laramie in Wy ...

. During the

Great Sioux War of 1876 The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred in 1876 and 1877 in an alliance of Lakota people, Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. The cause of t ...

, Schou risked his life volunteering to carry dispatches from commanders in the field to

Fort Buford Fort Buford was a United States Army Post at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in Dakota Territory, present day North Dakota, and the site of Sitting Bull's surrender in 1881.Ewers, John C. (1988): "When Sitting Bull Surrende ...

. He was eventually recognized for his efforts and received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

on November 19, 1884.

Biography

Julius Alexis Schou was born on July 17, 1849, in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. He later emigrated to the United States and lived in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

before enlisting in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in the mid-to late 1870s. Assigned to frontier duty in the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

, he saw considerable action with the 22nd U.S. Infantry Regiment during the

. It was during the

that the 27-year-old

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

volunteered to deliver dispatches from Brigadier General

Elwell Stephen Otis Elwell Stephen Otis (March 25, 1838 – October 21, 1909) was a United States Army general who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, the Philippines late in the Spanish–American War and during the Philippine–American War. Biography ...

to General

William B. Hazen William Babcock Hazen (September 27, 1830 – January 16, 1887) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Indian Wars, as a Union general in the American Civil War, and as Chief Signal Officer of the U.S. Army. His most famous ser ...

, a dangerous task which required Schou to ride long distances though wide-open Indian territory, and was cited for distinguished by his superiors. He received an immediate transfer to Troop G of the 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment and was promoted to the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

. He later received the

in recognition of his actions on November 19, 1884; though he won the award in 1876, his MOH citation was incorrectly dated 1870. Prior to his retirement, he served as a recruiting officer in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and, in 1896, was interviewed by

The Spokesman-Review ''The Spokesman-Review'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Spokane, Washington, the city's sole remaining daily publication. It has the third-highest readership among daily newspapers in the state, with most of its readership base in ...

. Schou died on November 19, 1929, at the age of 80, and was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

with his wife Irma (1864–1937).

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 22d U.S. Infantry. Place and date: Sioux Campaign, 1870. Entered service at: — . Birth: Denmark. Date of issue: 19 November 1884. Citation:

Carried dispatches to Fort Buford.

References

External links

Indian War Campaigns Medal of Honor Recipients for the United States Army
at

Army Knowledge Online Army Knowledge Online (AKO) was a web application that provided enterprise information services to the United States Army, joint, and Department of Defense customers. AKO was sunset in 2021. The remaining following information is historical in na ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schou, Julius Alexis 1849 births 1929 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from Copenhagen Military personnel from Brooklyn United States Army soldiers Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients Danish emigrants to the United States Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links