Julius Schou Explained

Julius Schou
Birth Date:17 July 1849
Birth Place:Copenhagen, Denmark
Death Place:Arlington, Virginia, United States
Placeofburial:Arlington National Cemetery
Placeofburial Label:Place of burial
Allegiance:United States
Branch:United States Army
Serviceyears:c. 1875–1896
Rank:Sergeant
Unit:22nd U.S. Infantry
Battles:Indian Wars
Great Sioux War of 1876
Awards:Medal of Honor

Sergeant Julius Alexis Schou (July 17, 1849 – November 19, 1929) was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 22nd U.S. Infantry during the Sioux Wars. During the Great Sioux War of 1876, Schou risked his life volunteering to carry dispatches from commanders in the field to Fort Buford. He was eventually recognized for his efforts and received the Medal of Honor on November 19, 1884.

Biography

Julius Alexis Schou was born on July 17, 1849, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He later emigrated to the United States and lived in Brooklyn, New York before enlisting in the United States Army in the mid-to late 1870s. Assigned to frontier duty in the Dakota Territory, he saw considerable action with the 22nd U.S. Infantry Regiment during the Sioux Wars. It was during the Great Sioux War of 1876 that the 27-year-old corporal volunteered to deliver dispatches from Brigadier General Elwell Stephen Otis to General William B. Hazen at Fort Buford, a dangerous task which required Schou to ride long distances though wide-open Indian territory, and was cited for distinguished by his superiors. He received an immediate transfer to Troop G of the 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He later received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his actions on November 19, 1884;[1] [2] [3] though he won the award in 1876, his MOH citation was incorrectly dated 1870.[4] [5] Prior to his retirement, he served as a recruiting officer in Seattle and, in 1896, was interviewed by The Spokesman-Review.[6] Schou died on November 19, 1929, at the age of 80, and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery with his wife Irma (1864–1937).[7] [8] [9]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 22d U.S. Infantry. Place and date: Sioux Campaign, 1870. Entered service at: — . Birth: Denmark. Date of issue: 19 November 1884.

Citation:

Carried dispatches to Fort Buford.[10]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medal of Honor recipients, 1863–1978, 96th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979. (p. 312)
  2. Web site: Military Times Hall of Valor: Julius Alexis Schou. December 29, 2010 . Army Times Publishing Company . Awards and Citations: Medal of Honor . MilitaryTimes.com .
  3. Web site: MOH Citation for Julius Schou . December 29, 2010 . Sterner, C. Douglas . 1999 . MOH Recipients: Indian Campaigns . HomeofHeroes.com .
  4. Smith, Oskaloosa, Robert L. Hamilton and William H. Wassell. A History of the Twenty-Second United States Infantry. Manila, Philippines: E.C. McCullough & Co., 1904. (p. 28)
  5. Web site: 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry: The 22nd Infantry 1874–1878 . 1-22Infantry.org . December 29, 2010.
  6. News: His Ride Among Hostile Sioux; Congress Presented Sergeant Schou With A Medal of Honor . . March 18, 1896 . December 29, 2010.
  7. https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgVzY2hvdRIGanVsaXVz/ Burial Detail: Schou, Julius Alexis
  8. Holt, Dean W. American Military Cemeteries: A Comprehensive Illustrated Guide to the Hallowed Grounds of the United States, including Cemeteries Overseas. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1992.
  9. Web site: Photo of Grave site of MOH Recipient Julius Schou. December 29, 2010 . Sterner, C. Douglas . 1999 . Medal of Honor Recipient Gravesites In The State of . HomeofHeroes.com .
  10. Web site: June 29, 2009 . Medal of Honor recipients . Indian War Campaigns . . June 8, 2009 . August 3, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130803232814/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/indianwars.html . dead .