Orizoba Spence
Orizoba O. Spence (1847 – April 7, 1876), alternatively spelled Orisoba, was a sergeant in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action during the Indian Wars.[1]
Orizoba O. Spence | |
|---|---|
 Headboard of O. O. Spence | |
| Born | 1847 Tionesta, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 7, 1876 (aged 28–29) Sulphur Springs, Arizona Territory |
| Place of burial | Fort Bowie Post Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | Company G, 8th Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Indian Wars |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Biography
Spence was born in 1847 in Tionesta, Pennsylvania, and joined the Army in 1868. He was stationed at Fort Bowie in the Arizona Territory with Company G of the 8th Cavalry Regiment. On October 20, 1869, Spence earned a Medal of Honor for gallantry after a battle against a band of Apaches led by Cochise.[2]
Spence was discharged from the army as a sergeant at Fort Selden, New Mexico in 1873. He married in 1874 and briefly resided in Grant County, New Mexico. He went on to work as a cook at the overland mail stage station at Sulphur Springs in the Arizona Territory.[2]
On April 7, 1876, the station was raided by a band of Apaches led by Pionsenay after an argument over whiskey sales. Pionsenay shot and killed Spence and Nicholas Rogers, the station operator.[3] The two were initially buried at the station, however, the bodies were later exhumed for interment at Fort Bowie.[2]
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Private, Company G, 8th Cavalry Regiment. Place and date: At Chiricahua Mountains, Ariz., October 20, 1869. Entered service at: Tionesta, Pa. Birth: Forest County, Pa. Date of issue: February 14, 1870.
Citation:
Gallantry in action.
References
- "Orizoba Spence". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- Fort Bowie Cemetery Graves, National Park Service
- A historical and biographical record of the territory of Arizona. (1896). Chicago: McFarland & Poole.