William C. Bryan (September 9, 1852 – March 27, 1933) was a

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 ...

soldier and athlete who 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 ...

. His award came for gallantry during the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

. He was also a professional baseball player, sprinter, and coach.

Biography

Bryan was born on September 9, 1852, in

Zanesville, Ohio Zanesville is a city in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Licking River (Ohio), Licking and Muskingum River, Muskingum rivers, the city is approximately east of Columbus, Ohio, Columb ...

. He enlisted into the

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

in 1874, and was made a Hospital Steward. Bryan was assigned to the

Department of the Platte The Department of the Platte was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army on March 5, 1866, with boundaries encompassing Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota Territory, Utah Territory and a small portion of Idaho. With headquarters in Oma ...

, commanded by Brigadier General

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the Geronimo Campaign, 1886 campaign that ...

. In February 1876 he was attached to the Medical Company of the Big Horn Expedition under the direction of Assistant Surgeon Curtis E. Munn. Bryan accompanied the expedition into

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

during March 1876. On the seventeenth, he was riding with Company K of the 2nd United States Cavalry when the troop was ordered by

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Joseph J. Reynolds to charge and capture an encampment of Northern Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux. In the opening actions of the Battle of Powder River, Bryan's horse was killed under him. He continued to fight on foot, carrying two wounded soldiers to safety, inevitably saving them from capture. For these actions, Hospital Steward William C. Bryan was awarded the

in 1899. Bryan was discharged from the army in 1878. He later re-enlisted in a volunteer regiment from Illinois for service in the

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans (, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in the modern United States, with a ...

and was eventually promoted to the rank of captain. He retired from the Army in 1901. Following his first tour of service Bryan began a career as a professional athlete. He was a member of organized baseball and sprinting teams that toured the west including the Bates hose team, a fire department squad in Denver composed of professional sprinters. In 1890 he was employed by industrialist Francis Ley to coach the Derby Baseball Club in England in a professional baseball league organized by Ley and

Albert Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of the Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised i ...

. He returned to America in 1894 to coach the athletics department at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and later

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. He married Lucy B. Wetzel (1873-1945) in 1888. Captain William C. Bryan died on March 27, 1933, in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. He was buried in Fairmount Cemetery in

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Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Hospital Steward, Medical Company. Place and date: At Powder River, Montana, March 17, 1876. Entered service at:

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Born: September 9, 1852, Zanesville, Ohio. Date of issue: June 15, 1899. Citation: "Hospital Steward Bryan accompanied a detachment of cavalry in a charge on a village of hostile Indians and fought through the engagements, having his horse killed under him. He continued to fight on foot, and under severe fire and without assistance conveyed two wounded comrades to places of safety, saving them from capture."

References

William C. Bryan, by Paul Winter https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/willam-c-bryan/

External links

*
Medal of Honor Recipients: Indian Wars Period
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, William C. 1852 births 1933 deaths American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Zanesville, Ohio Military personnel from Ohio United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army officers

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links