b. 20/04/1841 Wilmington, Delaware. d. 30/09/1912 Miami, Florida.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 05/02/1865 Rowanty Creek, Virginia.
Samuel R Smith MOH
Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient. Served as Captain of Company C, 4th Delaware Infantry. On February 5, 1865 at Rowanty Creek, Virginia, he swam the partially frozen creek under enemy fire and established a safe crossing for his troops. He was awarded the CMOH for this act in 1895.
After the Civil War, Smith worked for Farmer’s Mutual Insurance Company. Smith authored a memoir of Judge Leonard Eugene Wales published by the Delaware Historical Society. He was appointed Clerk of the US Court for the District of Delaware in 1873, where he worked for 30 years. Smith authored a pamphlet named The reclamation of the Florida Everglades.
Smith owned a 20 Hp Maxwell Briscoe Touring Car, one of the few motor vehicles registered in South Florida in 1907. During his campaign for Miami Mayor, his opponents called him, ‘Yankee’ as a pejorative.
He died in Miami in shortly after resigning as the city’s 5th Mayor. He willed a generous donation to the YMCA, the Women’s Club and the Coconut Grove Library.
MOH CITATION:
Swam the partly frozen creek under fire to establish a crossing.
BURIAL LOCATION: WILMINGTON CEMETERY, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.
SECTION XI, LOT 6.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: BELIEVED TO BE FAMILY.
