Distinctly Montana Magazine

64 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 6 Ten members of Companies G, H, and I, Fifth Infantry, received Medals of Hon- or for services rendered during the Fort Peck Expedition, an operational phase that lasted from November 6–Decem- ber 22. Led by First Lieutenant Frank D. Baldwin, who, in 1894, became a two- time Medal of Honor recipient, they re- lentlessly pursued and skirmished with winter-roaming Lakota bands. Those military operations occurred in condi- tions that occasionally tested the bound- aries of human endurance and survival. The hours immediately after the Bark Creek engagement posed particularly se- vere, life-threatening challenges. Citing an entry in Baldwin's diary for December 7, 1876, Jerome Greene states, in Yellow- stone Command, that "a sudden raging norther swept down on the men [at dusk], dropping the temperature to minus thir- ty-five degrees." By 9 p.m., Baldwin be- gan a forced march back to Fort Peck. Facing blizzard conditions, Baldwin im- posed several tactical directives to ensure the welfare of his men. Most notably, he positioned three sergeants at the rear of his column, with "fixed bayonets and strict orders to prick any man" who fell behind. While navigating this crucible, Baldwin momentarily dozed off and fell from his horse. Years later, he informed Walter Camp that he still carried "the marks of the wound" he received for that transgression. Baldwin ultimately recommended the man who revived him "for a medal, which he got." In this instance, immediate life-saving measures apparently superseded heroism on the battlefield as a prerequisite to Medal of Honor referrals. In just over two days, Greene notes, Baldwin's bone-tired, 112- man column had marched 73 miles. During the Nez Perce War of 1877, two engagements in Montana contributed significantly to MOH rolls. The bloody Battle of the Big Hole (August 9–10) resulted in conferment of six Medals of Honor. Opening salvos of the cli- mactic Battle of Bear's Paw Mountain, which occurred on September 30, pro- vided the context for nine more MOH awards. On the latter occasion, well-positioned Nez Perce warriors decimated ele- ments of the Seventh Cavalry during the initial assault on their village. Sharpshooters targeted commissioned and noncommissioned officers to de- capitate command and control, there- by killing or wounding 53 of 115 men. Published accounts from both military and civilian sources praised the marks- manship of Nez Perce combatants. Louis Shambo, who led a contingent of Cheyenne scouts, stated quite simply that "those [Nez Perce] Indians were the best shots I ever saw." By the end of that day's hostilities, Greene indicates that casualties for troops under the command of Colonel Miles numbered 20 killed and 50 wounded. The even- tual surrender of the Nez Perce would be effectuated through imposition of siege conditions. Barely two months after receiving his first Medal of Honor for gallantry at Cedar Creek, First Sergeant Henry Hogan's con- duct in this engagement placed him in rarefied company. Lieu- tenant Henry Romeyn, Fifth Infantry, assumed command of the fragmented Seventh until he sustained a gunshot wound through the right lung, after which Hogan carried him "off the field of battle under heavy fire." The bravery of both men was formally recognized by conferment of Medals of Honor in 1894, thus marking one of only three times in American mili- tary history that a Medal of Honor was awarded for rescuing another MOH recipient. One of only 19 double Medal of Hon- or recipients, Hogan holds the unique distinction of achieving that status, in both instances, during Indian War engagements in Montana. First Lieutenant Frank D. Baldwin First Sergeant Henry Hogan

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