Clinton Greaves

Clinton Greaves (August 12, 1855 – August 18, 1906) was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States.

Biography

Greaves was born in Madison County, Virginia on August 12, 1855. He joined the Army from Prince George's County, Maryland in September 1872, and by January 24, 1877 was serving as a Corporal in Company C of the 9th Cavalry Regiment. On that day, Greaves was part of a detachment which participated in an engagement in the Florida Mountains of New Mexico. For his actions during the battle, he was awarded the Medal of Honor two years later, on June 26, 1879.

Greaves served in the army for over 20 years, and had reached the rank of Sergeant upon his discharge in 1893. After his army service, he worked as a civilian for the Quartermaster Department.^[1] He died of heart disease at age 51 and was buried in Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio.

Medal of Honor citation

Statue of Corporal Greaves at Ft. Bayard, New Mexico

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company C, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Florida Mountains, N. Mex., January 24, 1877. Entered service at: Prince George's County, Md. Birth: Madison County, Va. Date of issue: June 26, 1879.

Citation:

While part of a small detachment to persuade a band of renegade Apache Indians to surrender, his group was surrounded. Cpl. Greaves in the center of the savage hand-to-hand fighting, managed to shoot and bash a gap through the swarming Apaches, permitting his companions to break free.

Namesake

Camp Greaves, a US Army installation located near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), is named in honor of Sergeant (SGT) Greaves.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
• List of African American Medal of Honor recipients

References

• "Clinton Greaves". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
• "Indian War Period Medal of Honor recipients". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. 2005-04-19. Retrieved 2007-01-15. 

Buffalo Soldiers
Predecessors	United States Colored Troops Bureau of Colored Troops
Original units	9th Cavalry Regiment 10th Cavalry Regiment 24th Infantry Regiment 25th Infantry Regiment
Medal of Honor recipients (1866–1918)	Edward L. Baker Jr. Dennis Bell Thomas Boyne Benjamin Brown George Ritter Burnett Louis H. Carpenter John Denny Clinton Greaves Henry Johnson George Jordan Fitz Lee Isaiah Mays William McBryar Thomas Shaw Emanuel Stance Freddie Stowers William H. Thompkins Augustus Walley George H. Wanton Moses Williams William Othello Wilson Brent Woods
Notable battles (1866–1918)	American Indian Wars Saline River Texas–Indian wars Beecher Island Wichita I Beaver Creek North Fork Red River War Wichita II Apache Wars Victorio Campaign Fort Tularosa Bannock Uprising Yaqui Uprising Bear Valley Spanish–American War Las Guasimas Tayacoba El Caney San Juan Heights Santiago Philippine–American War Moro Rebellion Border War Pancho Villa Expedition Carrizal Ambos Nogales World War I Third Battle of the Aisne Second Battle of the Marne Meuse-Argonne Offensive Oise-Aisne Offensive
See also	Wham Paymaster Robbery Brownsville Affair Bisbee Riot
United States Armed Forces Military history of African Americans