Born in Covington, Kentucky, in 1846, he earned the Medal of Honor on August 12, 1881 while serving with Company K, 8th United States Cavalry at Carrizo Canyon, Arizona (Indian Wars).
He died on June 23, 1895 and was buried in Section 27 of Arlington National Cemetery.
SHAW, THOMAS
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company K, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Carrizo Canyon, New Mexico, 12 August 1881. Entered service at: Pike County, Missouri. Birth: Covington, Kentucky. Date of issue: 7 December 1890.
Citation:
Forced the enemy back after stubbornly holding his ground in an extremely exposed position and prevented the enemy's superior numbers from surrounding his command.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard