Christian Steiner
Encyclopedia
Private
Christian Steiner (1843 – August 5, 1880) was a German-born American
soldier in the U.S. Army
who served as a saddler
with the 8th U.S. Cavalry during the Apache Wars
in the Arizona Territory
. He was one of thirty-two men awarded the Medal of Honor
for gallantry battling against Cochise
and the Apache Indians in the Chiricahua Mountains
on October 20, 1869.
, Germany
in 1843. He later emigrated to the United States and settled in St. Louis, Missouri
, amid a growing German-American population, and eventually enlisted in the United States Army
in the mid-1860s. As a saddler
in Company G of the 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, he was assigned to frontier duty and took part in the southwest military campaigns against the Plains Indians
.
Steiner was stationed in the Arizona Territory
during the Apache Wars
. He was among the sixty-one cavalry troopers from the 1st and 8th Cavalry Regiment who, on October 5, 1868, pursued an Apache raiding party under Cochise
following attacks on a stage coach en route to Tucson and a group of cowboys in the Sulphur Springs Valley
. Leaving Fort Bowie
, he followed Lt. William H. Winters and Capt. Reuben Bernard in a fifteen-day pursuit of Cochise's band, who had fled to the Apache stronghold in the Chiricahua Mountains
(between Red Rock and Turtle Mountain), before finally catching up to them on October 20. In what was one of the major battles of the Apache campaign, famously called the "Campaign of the Rocky Mesa", Steiner was among the thirty-two soldiers cited for "gallantry in action" and officially awarded the Medal of Honor
on February 14, 1870. He died on August 5, 1880, at the age of 37, and buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Hot Springs, Arkansas
.
Citation:
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
Christian Steiner (1843 – August 5, 1880) was a German-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
who served as a saddler
Saddler
Saddler is both a skilled trade and a surname. As a trade, it refers to the occupation of making saddles.Saddler may refer to* Osmund Saddler* Sandy SaddlerAlso* Saddler, reporting name for the R-16 missile...
with the 8th U.S. Cavalry during the Apache Wars
Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States and Apaches fought in the Southwest from 1849 to 1886, though other minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. The Confederate Army participated in the wars during the early 1860s, for instance in Texas, before being...
in the Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
. He was one of thirty-two men awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for gallantry battling against Cochise
Cochise
Cochise was a chief of the Chokonen band of the Chiricahua Apache and the leader of an uprising that began in 1861. Cochise County, Arizona is named after him.-Biography:...
and the Apache Indians in the Chiricahua Mountains
Chiricahua Mountains
The Chiricahua Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern Arizona which are part of the Basin and Range province of the southwest, and part of the Coronado National Forest...
on October 20, 1869.
Biography
Christian Steiner was born in WürttembergWürttemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1843. He later emigrated to the United States and settled in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, amid a growing German-American population, and eventually enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in the mid-1860s. As a saddler
Saddler
Saddler is both a skilled trade and a surname. As a trade, it refers to the occupation of making saddles.Saddler may refer to* Osmund Saddler* Sandy SaddlerAlso* Saddler, reporting name for the R-16 missile...
in Company G of the 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, he was assigned to frontier duty and took part in the southwest military campaigns against the Plains Indians
Plains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and resistance to White domination have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.Plains...
.
Steiner was stationed in the Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
during the Apache Wars
Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States and Apaches fought in the Southwest from 1849 to 1886, though other minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. The Confederate Army participated in the wars during the early 1860s, for instance in Texas, before being...
. He was among the sixty-one cavalry troopers from the 1st and 8th Cavalry Regiment who, on October 5, 1868, pursued an Apache raiding party under Cochise
Cochise
Cochise was a chief of the Chokonen band of the Chiricahua Apache and the leader of an uprising that began in 1861. Cochise County, Arizona is named after him.-Biography:...
following attacks on a stage coach en route to Tucson and a group of cowboys in the Sulphur Springs Valley
Sulphur Springs Valley
The Sulphur Springs Valley is a major valley in the eastern half of Cochise County, Arizona. The valley covers an approximated vertical rectangle west of the Chiricahua Mountains–Dos Cabezas Mountains complex; the Chiricahua's have a valley to the northeast, San Simon Valley, and to the southeast,...
. Leaving Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie was a 19th century outpost of the United States Army located in southeastern Arizona near the present day town of Willcox, Arizona.Fort Bowie was established in 1862 after a series of engagements between the U.S. Military and the Chiricahua Apaches. The most violent of which was the...
, he followed Lt. William H. Winters and Capt. Reuben Bernard in a fifteen-day pursuit of Cochise's band, who had fled to the Apache stronghold in the Chiricahua Mountains
Chiricahua Mountains
The Chiricahua Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern Arizona which are part of the Basin and Range province of the southwest, and part of the Coronado National Forest...
(between Red Rock and Turtle Mountain), before finally catching up to them on October 20. In what was one of the major battles of the Apache campaign, famously called the "Campaign of the Rocky Mesa", Steiner was among the thirty-two soldiers cited for "gallantry in action" and officially awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
on February 14, 1870. He died on August 5, 1880, at the age of 37, and buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Saddler, Company G, 8th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Chiricahua Mountains, Ariz., 20 October 1869. Entered service at: --. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 14 February 1870.Citation:
Gallantry in action.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
Further reading
- Wilson, D. Ray. Terror on the Plains: A Clash of Cultures. Dundee, Illinois: Crossroads Communications, 1999. ISBN 0-916-44547-X
External links
Retrieved on December 29, 2010- Indian War Campaigns Medal of Honor Recipients for the United States Army at Army Knowledge OnlineArmy Knowledge OnlineArmy Knowledge Online provides web-based enterprise information services to Army, joint, and DoD customers. Enterprise services are provided to these customers on both classified and unclassified networks, and include portal, e-mail, directory, discovery, and single sign-on functionality...