Charles Schroeter

Gallantry in the Chiricahua Mountains

Charles Schroeter was a German-born American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Indian Campaigns. Serving as a Private in Company G of the 8th United States Cavalry, he distinguished himself during an engagement in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona Territory on October 20, 1869. His actions earned him the nation's highest military decoration on February 14, 1870. Schroeter's military career extended from the American Civil War through the campaigns of the western United States and included a separate period of service in the United States Marine Corps.

Schroeter was born in the Kingdom of Hanover, in present-day Germany. Historical records differ concerning his precise birthplace and birth year. His official Medal of Honor record identifies Lindberg, Hanover, and the year 1839, while later biographical research gives Lüneburg and July 4, 1837.

In 1860, Schroeter immigrated to the United States aboard the passenger ship Bremen. He arrived in New York in November of that year, beginning a new life shortly before the outbreak of the American Civil War.

His early years in the United States eventually brought him to Missouri, where he entered military service with the Union Army.

On March 15, 1863, Schroeter was mustered into the 1st Missouri Volunteer Cavalry as a Private. He initially served in Company A of the regiment's 1st Battalion.

The regiment operated in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, particularly in Missouri and Arkansas, during the Civil War. Its duties included cavalry patrols, reconnaissance, expeditions, and operations against Confederate forces.

During 1863 and 1864, the 1st Missouri Cavalry participated in military operations across Arkansas. The regiment's history included the Union expedition against Little Rock and subsequent operations intended to maintain federal control in the region.

Schroeter remained in volunteer service until September 1, 1865, when he was mustered out at Little Rock, Arkansas, as a Private in Company C.

His Civil War service marked the beginning of a military career that would eventually extend across more than three decades.

After leaving the volunteer Army, Schroeter returned to military service in the regular United States Army. On August 9, 1866, he enlisted at St. Louis, Missouri, and became associated with Company G of the 8th United States Cavalry.

The 8th Cavalry was part of the regular Army's postwar military establishment. Its soldiers were assigned to western territories, where Army units conducted patrols and expeditions amid expanding federal military operations and conflicts with Native American communities.

Schroeter's assignment eventually brought him to Arizona Territory.

By 1869, Army detachments were conducting operations in southeastern Arizona, including the mountainous region occupied by Apache communities. The area's difficult terrain presented considerable challenges for mounted troops.

The Chiricahua Mountains contained steep slopes, rocky formations, and narrow approaches that affected the movement of cavalry units. Military expeditions in the region often required soldiers to advance on foot through terrain unsuitable for horses.

On October 20, 1869, Schroeter participated in an engagement in the Chiricahua Mountains while serving as a Private in Company G of the 8th United States Cavalry.

The engagement occurred during Army operations against Apache fighters in Arizona Territory. Historical accounts associate the fighting with an expedition into the mountainous terrain where Apache defenders occupied elevated positions.

The soldiers advancing through the area encountered the difficulties presented by the landscape and armed resistance.

Schroeter took part in the engagement as an enlisted cavalryman. His conduct during the fighting was officially recognized for gallantry.

The Medal of Honor citation describes his achievement in the concise words, "Gallantry in action."

Although the citation does not identify a particular individual maneuver, rescue, or captured position, it establishes that Schroeter distinguished himself during the October 20 engagement.

His recognition was associated specifically with his service in the United States Army, Company G, 8th Cavalry.

On February 14, 1870, Charles Schroeter received the Medal of Honor for his conduct in the Chiricahua Mountains.

The award recognized his bravery as a Private during the engagement and became the defining distinction of his military career.

Schroeter continued serving in the regular Army after receiving the decoration. His later assignments included service with the 1st United States Infantry, extending his military experience beyond the cavalry regiment in which he had earned the Medal of Honor.

On October 7, 1871, he reenlisted in the Army at St. Louis. Records from this period place him with the 1st Infantry during operations in the northern plains.

He completed this enlistment on October 7, 1876, while serving as a Sergeant in Company C of the 1st Infantry at Fort Sully in Dakota Territory.

His advancement to Sergeant represented a later stage of his military career and was distinct from the Private rank he held during his Medal of Honor action in 1869.

After his Army service in the 1870s, Schroeter entered the United States Marine Corps.

His Marine Corps enlistment is recorded in November 1877. This period of service represented a separate chapter in his military career, rather than the service for which he had received the Medal of Honor.

As a Marine, Schroeter served aboard USS Alliance, a screw gunboat deployed to the Mediterranean. His assignment involved shipboard service and visits to ports during the vessel's overseas operations.

He continued in the Marine Corps until 1881.

Following this period of naval-associated service, Schroeter returned to the United States Army. His renewed Army career continued through several assignments during the 1880s and early 1890s.

The length of his service reflected a sustained connection to military life across different units and branches of the armed forces.

Schroeter retired from the Army in 1894 with the rank of Sergeant, his highest verified military rank.

His retirement concluded a career that had begun during the Civil War and continued through the decades of postwar military operations.

After leaving active service, Schroeter settled in Buffalo, New York, where he pursued civilian business activities. Historical accounts describe his involvement in a confectionery and cigar business.

His transition into civilian employment followed more than thirty years of intermittent military service.

In 1918, Schroeter moved to San Diego, California, where he spent the final years of his life.

Charles Schroeter died on January 27, 1921, in San Diego.

Following his death, his remains were placed at Greenwood Cemetery. Decades later, efforts were undertaken to recognize his military service through reinterment at a national cemetery.

On July 9, 2015, Schroeter was reinterred at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego with military honors. The ceremony brought renewed recognition to his service and his place among the Medal of Honor recipients of the nineteenth century.

Schroeter's military history was distinguished by service in both the volunteer and regular United States Army, as well as a later period in the United States Marine Corps.

His Medal of Honor, however, remained directly connected to one particular event: his gallantry on October 20, 1869, while serving as a Private in Company G of the 8th United States Cavalry in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona Territory.

His subsequent advancement to Sergeant, service in the 1st Infantry, and Marine Corps assignment aboard USS Alliance formed separate chapters in an unusually long military career.

Charles Schroeter is remembered as a United States Army Medal of Honor recipient whose documented gallantry in the Chiricahua Mountains earned him national recognition and whose service continued across several decades of American military history.