Henry Johnson (1850-1904)

Henry Johnson wearing his Medal of Honor

Library of Congress

Quick Facts

Significance:

Buffalo Soldier and Medal of Honor Recipient

Place of Birth:

Boydton, Virginia

Date of Birth:

June 11, 1850

Place of Death:

Washington, D.C.

Date of Death:

January 31, 1904

Place of Burial:

Arlington, Virginia

Cemetery Name:

Arlington National Cemetery, Section 23, Lot 16547

Henry Johnson was born enslaved on June 11, 1850, in Boydton, Virginia. Johnson enlisted in 1867 in the newly formed F Troop, Tenth U.S. Cavalry. In June of 1877 Johnson reenlisted in the Army for the third time. He transferred to D Troop, Ninth U.S. Cavalry, stationed at Fort Wallace, Kansas. Soon after his transfer, D Troop relocated to Fort Union, New Mexico, where it engaged in scouting and patrolling. 

In the spring of 1879, D Troop was on the move again. This time they logged 589 miles north to Colorado as part of the Ute Expedition. In the autumn of 1879, D Troop escorted surveyors making the line between Colorado and Utah. 

On October 1, 1879, a courier arrived at D Troop’s camp with a message for Captain Francis S. Dodge. It said that Ute Indians had surrounded the Fifth Cavalry at the Milk River in Colorado. The Fifth Cavalry was going to be overrun if help didn’t arrive. Dodge issued 225 rounds of ammunition to each of his 35 veteran Buffalo Soldiers. As night fell, the soldiers broke camp and hastily headed toward Milk River. They traveled 70 miles in 20 hours and arrived near daybreak on October 2, 1879. 

The beleaguered Fifth Cavalry soldiers cheered wildly at the sight of the Buffalo Soldiers. Once Dodge, Johnson, and the rest of D Troop entered the circled wagons of the Fifth Cavalry, the Utes began to fire again. Dodge later said, “We were scarcely in the trenches when they commenced a fusillade which kept up at intervals for the next three days.” Almost all the Buffalo Soldiers’ horses were killed during the attack.

On October 3, some of the Buffalo Soldiers took up advance screening positions to try and protect the makeshift army barricade. As Sergeant of the guard, Johnson encountered enemy fire numerous times as he went from position to position talking to his troopers. This reassured the soldiers in the advanced positions to keep the Utes from advancing on their positions. 

As the days went on, water ran out. While it was available from the Milk River a short distance outside the barricades the army set up, the Indians were surveilling the river. On October 4, after nightfall, Johnson led a small group of soldiers to the river to collect drinking water. On the morning of October 5, 1879, five troops of the Fifth U.S. Cavalry under Colonel Wesley Merritt arrived. The Utes’ advantage evaporated, and they retreated. The Battle of Milk River was over. 

For the next two years, D Troop was stationed at Fort Union, New Mexico, participating in the campaigns against Apache chieftains Victorio and Nana. Johnson was discharged from D Troop, Ninth U.S. Cavalry, in January 1883 at Fort Riley, Kansas. Two months after discharge he reenlisted, this time in the Tenth Cavalry, and reported to Camp Grant in Arizona. He spent five years in the Tenth Cavalry before reenlisting in K Troop, Ninth U.S. Cavalry.

On September 22, 1890, Johnson was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Milk River. His Medal of Honor citation states, “Voluntarily left fortified shelter and under heavy fire at close-range made the rounds of the pits to instruct the guards; fought his way to the creek and back to bring water to the wounded.”

As a member of K Troop, Johnson served with fellow Medal of Honor recipients George Jordan and Thomas Shaw. Johnson helped patrol the Pine Ridge Reservation in the winter of 1891. K Troop was also assigned to Fort Myer just outside of Washington, D.C., in the spring of 1891, and returned to Fort Robinson, Nebraska, in 1893. Henry Johnson served the rest of his enlistment at Fort Robinson. He retired from the military in 1898 at 49 years old.

Henry Johnson died in Washington, D.C., on January 31, 1904, at the age of 53. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 23, Lot 16547.