Elsatsoosu Explained

Elsatsoosu
Birth Place:	Arizona Territory, United States
Death Place:	unknown
Placeofburial Label:	Place of burial
Allegiance:	United States of America
Branch:	United States Army
Serviceyears:	c. 1872–1875
Rank:	Corporal
Unit:	U.S. Army Indian Scouts
Battles:	Indian Wars Apache Wars
Awards:	Medal of Honor

Elsatsoosu (fl. 1872–1875), also called Elsatsoosh, 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 who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry.

Biography

Born in the Arizona Territory, Elsatsoosu (or Elsatsoosh) was one of ten Apaches hired by the U.S. Army as an Indian scout for Lieutenant Colonel George Crook's campaign against the renegades still active following the surrender of Cochise in late 1872. He specifically guided cavalry troopers in the Tonto Basin, where the Western Apache and Yavapais had been successfully conducting raids and eluding troops for several years, battling the Apache in the mountains during Crook's winter campaign of 1872–73. A total of 23 men received the Medal of Honor. Of these, all 10 Indian scouts, including Elsatsoosu, received the award^{[1] [2] [3]} on April 12, 1875,^{[4] [5] [6]} for "gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches".^{[7] [8]} The other scouts were William Alchesay, Blanquet, Chiquito, Jim, Kelsay, Kosoha, Machol, Nannasaddie and Nantaje.^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]}

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Corporal, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Winter of 1872–73. Entered service at:------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: April 12, 1875.

Citation:

Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches.^[14]

Burial

His date and place of death are unknown. A cenotaph in his honor is maintained at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Marana, Pima County, Arizona.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars

Further reading

• Hirschfelder, Arlene B. and Martha Kreipe De Montaño. The Native American Almanac: A Portrait of Native America Today. New York: Prentice Hall, 1993.
• 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.

Notes and 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. p. 552.
2. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medal of Honor recipients, 1863–1978, 96th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979. p. 951.
3. Manning, Robert, ed. Above and Beyond: A History of the Medal of Honor from the Civil War to Vietnam. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1985. p. 81.
4. Hannings, Bud. A Portrait of the Stars and Stripes. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Seniram Publishing, 1988. p. 396.
5. 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. p. 28.
6. Wilson, D. Ray. Terror on the Plains: A Clash of Cultures. Dundee, Illinois: Crossroads Communications, 1999. p. 239.
7. Web site: MOH Citation for Elsatsoosh . June 24, 2010 . Sterner, C. Douglas . 1999 . MOH Recipients: Indian Campaigns . HomeofHeroes.com .
8. Web site: Military Times Hall of Valor: Elsatsoosh . June 24, 2010 . Army Times Publishing Company . Awards and Citations: Medal of Honor . MilitaryTimes.com .
9. Zedric, Lance Q. and Michael F. Dilley. Elite Warriors: 300 Years of America's Best Fighting Troops.Ventura, California: Pathfinder Publishing of California, 1996. p. 111,
10. Owens, Ron. Medal of Honor: Historical Facts & Figures. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, 2004. pp. 171, 192.
11. Yenne, Bill. Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. p. 148,
12. Web site: Arizona and the Medal of Honor . Perkins, E.J. . September 12, 2006 . Special Report . AZCentral.com . June 24, 2010.
13. Robinson, Gary and Phil Lucas. From Warriors to Soldiers: A History of American Indian Service in the United States Military. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, 2010. p. 96.
14. Web site: June 29, 2009 . Medal of Honor recipients . Indian War Campaigns . . June 8, 2009 . May 24, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090524162853/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/indianwars.html . dead .