b. 1838 County Mayo, Ireland. d. 20/03/1898 Washington DC.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 23/05/1872 Sycamore Canyon, Arizona.
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 received his Medal of Honor on 12 April 1875. Barrett moved to Washington, D.C. after his retirement from military service.
MOH CITATION:
Consplcuous gallantry in a charge upon the Tonto Apaches.
BURIAL LOCATION: US SOLDIERS’ AND AIRMEN’S HOME NATIONAL CEMETERY, WASHINGTON DC.
SECTION K, LOT 6765
LOCATION OF MEDAL: FAMILY.
