Jim (Medal of Honor recipient)

Jim "The Great" (1850 – c. 1897), born Bow-os-loh, was an Apache Indian scout in the U.S. Army who served under Lieutenant Colonel George Crook during the Apache Wars. He guided cavalry troopers against renegade Apaches in the Arizona Territory during Crook's winter campaign of 1872-73 and was one of ten scouts later awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry.

Jim
Born1850
Arizona Territory
Diedc. 1897
Arizona Territory
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of servicec. 1872–1875
RankSergeant
UnitU.S. Army Indian Scouts
Battles/warsIndian Wars
Apache Wars
AwardsMedal of Honor

Biography

Born Bow-os-loh in the Arizona Territory, Jim was a member of the White Mountain Apache. In late-1872, he and nine other Apaches were hired by the U.S. Army as an Indian scout for Lieutenant Colonel George Crook's campaign against renegades still active in Arizona following the surrender of Cochise earlier that year. Jim and the other scouts guided cavalry troopers in the Tonto Basin where the Western Apache and Yavapais had been successfully conducting raids and eluding troops for several years. During Crook's winter campaign of 1872-73, Jim was cited for gallantry battling the Apache in the mountains. Of the 23 men who received the Medal of Honor, Jim and all 10 Indian scouts received the award for "gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches".[1][2][3][4][5][6] The other scouts included William Alchesay, Blanquet, Chiquito, Elsatsoosu, Kelsay, Kosoha, Machol, Nannasaddie and Nantaje.[7][8][9][10][11] Most of the Apache scouts, save for William Alchesay, disappeared from public record soon after the expedition. The death of Jim was not reported until 40 years later when his widow applied for his army pension in 1927.[12]

See also

References
  1. 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. 552)
  2. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medal of Honor recipients, 1863-1978, 96th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979. (pg. 951)
  3. Hannings, Bud. A Portrait of the Stars and Stripes. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Seniram Publishing, 1988. (pg. 396) ISBN 0-922564-00-0
  4. 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. 28) ISBN 0-935269-07-X
  5. Sterner, C. Douglas (1999). "MOH Citation for Jim". MOH Recipients: Indian Campaigns. HomeofHeroes.com. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  6. "Jim". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  7. Zedric, Lance Q. and Michael F. Dilley. Elite Warriors: 300 Years of America's Best Fighting Troops. Ventura, California: Pathfinder Publishing of California, 1996. (pg. 111) ISBN 0-934793-60-3
  8. Owens, Ron. Medal of Honor: Historical Facts & Figures. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, 2004. (pg. 171, 192) ISBN 1-56311-995-1
  9. Yenne, Bill. Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. (pg. 148) ISBN 1-59416-016-3
  10. Perkins, E.J. (September 12, 2006). "Arizona and the Medal of Honor". Special Report. AZCentral.com. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  11. Robinson, Gary and Phil Lucas. From Warriors to Soldiers: A History of American Indian Service in the United States Military. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, 2010. (pg. 96) ISBN 1-936236-00-1
  12. Manning, Robert, ed. Above and Beyond: A History of the Medal of Honor from the Civil War to Vietnam. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1985. (pg. 81) ISBN 0-939526-19-0

Further reading
  • Konstantin, Phil. This Day in North American Indian History: Important Dates in the History of North America's Native Peoples for Every Calendar Day. New York: Da Capo Press, 2002. ISBN 0-306-81170-7
  • Radbourne, Allan. Mickey Free: Apache Captive, Interpreter, and Indian Scout. Tucson: Arizona Historical Society, 2005. ISBN 0-910037-46-9
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