Bernard J. D. Irwin
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Colonel Bernard J.D. Irwin (b. 1830 - d. 1917) was an assistant army surgeon during the Apache Wars and the first Medal of Honor recipient. His actions on February 13, 1861 are the first Medal of Honor Actions in history.
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[edit] Cochise and the Army
- See also: Bascom Affair
Cochise, the Chiricahua Apache chief, and a group of Apache warriors had kidnapped a boy and a small group of U.S. soldiers in the Arizona Territory after the army had captured his brother and nephews. When the army refused to make a prisoner exchange, Cochise killed his prisoners with exception to the boy. The U.S. army then killed Cochise's brother and nephews. Second Lieutenant George N. Bascom led a group of men of the U.S. Seventh Infantry after Cochise but was soon captured and taken prisoner along with 60 other soldiers prompting a rescue mission by the army.
[edit] February 13, 1861
In response to the capture of Bascom and his men, Colonel Irwin set out on a rescue mission with 14 men. He was able to catch up with the Apaches at Apache Pass in present day Arizona. He strategically placed his small unit around Cochise and his men, tricking the Apache leader into thinking that Irwin had a much larger army with him. The Apaches fled and Bascom and his men were saved. Bascom and his men joined Irwin and together they were able to track Cochise into the mountains and rescued the young boy that Cochise had captured previously.
The above is nothing more than fable. Irwin and Bascom executed, by hanging, six innocent people out of rage and without a trial. He did not rescue the boy. The boy was never in Cochise's hands. The events claimed that led to the Medal of Honor were at best exagerated, at worst a deliberate lie. He should have been court-martialed and sent to prison for murder. His actions and Bascom's led to a 12 year war in which it is estimated that 600 people died. rmq11
[edit] The Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor did not exist during this event. The medal was not established until 1862. However, the actions of Colonel Irwin were remembered and he was awarded the Medal of Honor on January 21, 1894.
