Leroy H. Vokes (November 12, 1849 – June 11, 1924) was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 3rd U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. A veteran of campaigns against the Plains Indians, he was one of four men who received the Medal of Honor for "gallantry in action" against hostile Indians at the Loupe Fork of the Platte River in Nebraska on April 26, 1872.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Biography
Leroy H. Vokes was born in Lake County, Illinois[8][9] on November 12, 1849. He later moved to St. Louis, Missouri where he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Volkes was assigned to 3rd U.S. Cavalry and took part in a number of campaigns against the Plains Indians during the early 1870s. On April 26, 1872, Volkes was one of four men received the Medal of Honor for "gallantry in action" battling Indians at the Loupe Fork of the Platte River in Nebraska. The other recipients were Sergeant John H. Foley, Private William H. Strayer and civilian scout William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company B, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Loupe Fork, Platte River, Nebr., 26 April 1872. Entered service at:------. Birth: Lake County, Ill. Date of issue: 22 May 1872.
Citation:
Gallantry in action.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b Beyer, Walter F. and Oscar Frederick Keydel, ed. Deeds of Valor: From Records in the Archives of the United States Government; how American Heroes Won the Medal of Honor; History of Our Recent Wars and Explorations, from Personal Reminiscences and Records of Officers and Enlisted Men who Were Rewarded by Congress for Most Conspicuous Acts of Bravery on the Battle-field, on the High Seas and in Arctic Explorations. Vol. 2. Detroit: Perrien-Keydel Company, 1906. (pg. 558)
- ^ a b Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medal of Honor recipients, 1863-1973, 93rd Cong., 1st sess. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1973. (pg. 327)
- ^ a b Hannings, Bud. A Portrait of the Stars and Stripes. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Seniram Publishing, 1988. (pg. 400) ISBN 0-922564-00-0
- ^ a b O'Neal, Bill. Fighting Men of the Indian Wars: A Biographical Encyclopedia of the Mountain Men, Soldiers, Cowboys, and Pioneers Who Took Up Arms During America's Westward Expansion. Stillwater, Oklahoma: Barbed Wire Press, 1991. (pg. 27) ISBN 0-935269-07-X
- ^ a b Paul, R. Eli, ed. The Nebraska Indian Wars Reader, 1865-1877. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. (pg. 220) ISBN 0-8032-8749-6
- ^ a b Wilson, D. Ray. Terror on the Plains: A Clash of Cultures. Dundee, Illinois: Crossroads Communications, 1999. (pg. 58) ISBN 0-916445-47-X
- ^ a b Warren, Louis S. Buffalo Bill's America: William Cody and the Wild West Show. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. (pg. 116-117) ISBN 0-375-41216-6
- ^ a b c Sterner, C. Douglas (1999). "MOH Citation for Leroy Vokes". MOH Recipients: Indian Campaigns. HomeofHeroes.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c Army Times Publishing Company. "Military Times Hall of Valor: Leroy H. Vokes". Awards and Citations: Medal of Honor. MilitaryTimes.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ^ "Medal of Honor recipients". Indian War Campaigns. United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Archived from the original on November 6, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
External links
- "Leroy H. Vokes". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved June 23, 2010.