Medal of Honor - Thomas Shaw
Charles W. Hanna
Thomas was born a salve in Kentucky about 1846. A certain Mary J.
Shaw, who even after President Lincln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1862,
continued to hold the erroneous belief that she could own another human
being, applied for compensation from the U.S. government when her 18 year
old slave enlisted in the Union Army in 1864. Thomas who enlisted as Thomas
Shaw, stayed in the army after the Civil War ending up on the western
froontier in Company K, 9th U.S. Cavalry.
Captain Charles Parker and nineteen men from Company K, 9th Cavalry
caught up with Nana and his renegade Apaches on August 12, 1881 near Carrizo
Canyon in the Cuchillo Negra mountains. Upon seeing the troopers the
Indians took cover in the rocks and brush of the canyon. Captain Parker
ordered his cavalrymen who were out numbered by about three to one, to
attack the Indians. A battle lasting one and a half hours ensued.
Two of the troopers Charles Perry and Guy Temple were killed early
in the battle and another three were wounded. The Apaches seeing their
success perceiving that they greatly out numbered the troopers moved to
surround the small command. Sergeant Thomas Shaw was instrumental in
thwarting this effort. A good shot, Sergeant Shaw selected for himself a
position from which he had a relatively clear field of fire upon the
Apaches. The only problem with this choice was that the Apaches all had a
clear shot at Sergeant Thomas as well. From this extremely exposed position
the Sergeant kept up a hot and accurate fire, which drove the Apaches back
and kept them from surrounding the command.
Again once Nana was certain that he could not gain any additional
advantages in this action and that the soldiers because of their wounded
could not be followed him, broke off the attack. Nana and his followers
again disappeared into the desert.
Sergeant Shaw was earned the Medal of Honor for his fearless defense
of his comrades.
Shaw retired from the Army in 1894 after more than 28 years of
service. Shaw settled down in Rosslyn, Virginia where he died on June 23,
1895. Sergeant Shaw is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Charles W. Hanna