William H Thompkins, PVT

William H. Thompkins (October 3, 1872 – September 24, 1916) was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Spanish-American War.

Biography

Thompkins joined the Army from his birth city of Paterson, New Jersey, and by June 30, 1898 was serving as a Private in Troop G of the 10th Cavalry Regiment. On that day, American forces aboard the USS Florida near Tayacoba, Cuba, dispatched a small landing party to provide reconnaissance on Spanish outposts in the area. The party was discovered by Spanish scouts and came under heavy fire; their boats were sunk by enemy cannon fire, leaving them stranded on shore.

The men aboard the Florida launched several rescue attempts; the first four were forced to retreat under heavy fire. The fifth attempt, manned by Thompkins and three other Privates of the 10th Cavalry (Dennis Bell, Fitz Lee, and George H. Wanton), launched at night and successfully found and rescued the surviving members of the landing party. One year later, on June 23, 1899, all four rescuers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in what had come to be known as the Battle of Tayacoba.

William Thompkins died in 1916 and was buried in San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, California.

Medal of Honor citation

Private Thompkins's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Voluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts at rescue had been frustrated.

The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the

Medal of Honor

to

THOMPKINS, WILLIAM H.

Rank and Organization: Private, Troop G, 10th U.S. Cavalry. Place and Date: At Tayabacoa, Cuba, 30 June 1898. Entered Service At: Paterson, N.J. Birth: Paterson, N.J. Date of Issue: 23 June 1899.

Citation:

Voluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts at rescue had been frustrated.