A Soldier's Story: Sergeant John Denny



Sergeant John Denny was born in 1846 at Big Flats, New York, a small agricultural community West of Elmira. Before he enlisted in the U.S. Army, he worked as a laborer.

He joined the ranks of the 9th Cavalry "Buffalo Soldiers," so described because of their hair, the buffalo coats they wore, or their being considered stubbornly fierce fighters.

The life of the 9th Calvary was harsh and met with hunger. Lieutenant Grote Hutcheson wrote in his report, The 9th Regiment of Calvary, "The stomachs of the men, even more than their bodies, were subject to a spartan simplicity."

Sergeant John Denny would remain with the 9th Calvary for 30 years, fighting in Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah. Sergeant John Denny, while under heavy fire in Las Animas Canyon, New Mexico, carried another wounded soldier to safety, an act which earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Sergeant John Denny retired from the U.S. Army on September 21, 1897,  living out his days in Baltimore, Maryland. He died on November 28, 1901, and was buried in the U.S. Soldier's and Airman's Home National Cemetery.

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to the travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

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Location: Big Flats, NY, USA

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