Patrick Golden Explained

Patrick Golden
Birth Date:	c. 1836
Birth Place:	County Sligo, Ireland
Death Place:	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Placeofburial:	Cypress Hills National Cemetery
Placeofburial Label:	Place of burial
Allegiance:	United States of America
Branch:	United States Army
Serviceyears:	c. 1868–c. 1872
Rank:	Sergeant
Unit:	8th U.S. Cavalry
Battles:	Indian Wars
Awards:	Medal of Honor

Patrick Golden (c. 1836 – May 25, 1872) was an Irish-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 8th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He was one of 34 men received the Medal of Honor for "bravery in scouts and actions" in several engagements against the Apache Indians in the Arizona Territory from August to October 1868.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

Biography

A native of County Sligo, Ireland, Patrick Golden emigrated to the United States and eventually enlisted in the U.S. Army in San Francisco, California. He became a member of the 8th U.S. Cavalry and was assigned to frontier duty in the Arizona Territory. From August to October 1868, Golden was part of a small force, one of two companies numbering 50–60 troopers, tasked to protect settlements from Apache war parties. In this 90-day period, Golden and other soldiers frequently faced the Apaches in heavy fighting, especially in ambushes and sniper attacks, during their patrols. At the end of the campaign, Golden was one of 34 soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor for "bravery in scouts and actions against Indians".^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [7]} The men of the regiment were officially issued the award on July 24, 1869, in one of the largest Medal of Honor presentations at the time. Golden died in Brooklyn, New York on May 25, 1872, at age 36.^{[8] [9]} He was buried in Cypress Hills National Cemetery.^[6]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 8th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: Arizona, August to October 1868. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 24 July 1869.

Citation:

Bravery in scouts and actions against Indians.^[10]

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars

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. 145)
2. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medal of Honor recipients, 1863–1978, 96th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979. (p. 285)
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. 325)
4. Hannings, Bud. A Portrait of the Stars and Stripes. Glenside, Pennsylvania: Seniram Publishing, 1988. (p. 397)
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. 25)
6. 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. (p. 89)
7. Yenne, Bill. Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2006. (p. 139)
8. Web site: MOH Citation for Patrick Golden . Sterner, C. Douglas . 1999 . MOH Recipients: Indian Campaigns . HomeofHeroes.com .
9. Web site: Military Times Hall of Valor: Patrick Golden . Army Times Publishing Company . Awards and Citations: Medal of Honor . MilitaryTimes.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 .