Albert Glawinski

Took Exposed Positions to Cover a Cavalry Retreat

Albert Glawinski, recorded in his Medal of Honor award as Albert Glavinski, was born in Prussia and entered United States Army service from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He served as a blacksmith in Company M, 3rd U.S. Cavalry, during the American Indian Wars.

On March 17, 1876, at Powder River, he distinguished himself while serving in the rear guard during a retreat. Rather than remaining sheltered with the withdrawing troops, he selected exposed positions. His official citation records this conduct in a single sentence, preserving the particular duty for which he was recognized without describing an individual charge or rescue.

Medal of Honor citation

“During a retreat he selected exposed positions; he was part of the rear guard.”

Glawinski's Medal of Honor was issued on October 16, 1877. His later life remains incompletely documented. The Medal of Honor Historical Society records that his family believed he was in New Orleans in March 1907 and never heard from him afterward. Its research also indicates that he may have worked near the La Boca locks in the Panama Canal area later that year. His exact death date and burial place remain unknown.