Richard Barrett (Medal of Honor)

Richard Barrett was born in County Mayo, Ireland in 1838. He eventually emigrated to the United States and settled in Buffalo, New York. It was there that Barrett enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to Company A of the 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment. By 1872, he had risen to the rank of first sergeant. On May 23 of that year, while posted to the Arizona Territory, Barrett volunteered to lead a charge against a group of renegade Tonto Apaches at Sycamore Canyon. He was cited for "conspicuous gallantry" and recommended for the Medal of Honor for his actions^[2][3][4] which he officially received on April 12, 1875.^[5] Barrett moved to Washington, D.C. after his retirement from military service. He died there on March 20, 1898, at the age of 60. He was interred at the United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.^[6][7]

Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company A, 1st U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Sycamore Canyon, Ariz., May 23, 1872. Entered service at: --. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: April 12, 1875.

Citation:

Consplcuous gallantry in a charge upon the Tonto Apaches.^[8]

• List of Medal of Honor recipients

• 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

• "Richard Barrett". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved June 29, 2010.