Yuma William "Bill" Rowdy ( 1862March 29, 1893) was a
United States Army Indian scout and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—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 ...
—for his actions during the March 1890
Cherry Creek Campaign in the
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...
.
Military service
Rowdy, a
Yavapai
The Yavapai ( ) are a Native American tribe in Arizona. Their Yavapai language belongs to the Upland Yuman branch of the proposed Hokan language family.
Today Yavapai people are enrolled in the following federally recognized tribes:
* Fort ...
, was a
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 ...
in Company A of the Indian Scouts.
He was involved in an engagement in
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
on March 7, 1890, and was awarded the Medal of Honor two months later, on May 15, 1890, for his "
avery in
heaction with
Apache
The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...
Indians."
Rowdy was killed in a brothel in
Miami, Arizona
Miami ( Western Apache: Goshtłʼish Tú) is a town in Gila County, Arizona, United States. Miami is a classic Western copper boom-town. Miami's old downtown has been partly renovated, and the Bullion Plaza Museum features the cultural, min ...
, nearly three years after earning the medal
and was buried in
Santa Fe National Cemetery
Santa Fe National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of Santa Fe, in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. It encompasses , and as of 2021, had 68,000 interments. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, i ...
,
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...
, with full military honors.
His grave is in section A, grave 894.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Arizona, March 7, 1890. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: May 15, 1890.
Citation:
Bravery in action with Apache Indians.
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. Recipients must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own ...
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
The Indian Wars is the name used by the United States government to describe a series of military conflicts between the United States and Indigenous peoples from 1776 to 1898.
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor was created during the American ...
*
List of Native American Medal of Honor recipients
This is a list of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans awarded the nation's highest military decoration – the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is bestowed "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowdy, Y. B.
1893 deaths
United States Army Indian Scouts
Native American people of the Indian Wars
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
Native American United States military personnel
United States Army soldiers
Apache Wars
American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor
Year of birth missing
Yavapai people