Henry I. Smith

A river rescue under Civil War fire

Henry I. Smith earned the Medal of Honor for rescuing a fellow soldier during the American Civil War. Born in Nottingham, England, on May 4, 1840, he served in Company B of the 7th Iowa Infantry.

On March 15, 1865, Smith was a first lieutenant at the Black River in North Carolina. Under enemy fire, he voluntarily rescued a comrade who was in danger of drowning. The brief official citation records both the peril of the rescue and his decision to act.

Smith’s Medal of Honor was presented on September 7, 1894. He attained the rank of major. He died in Mason City, Iowa, on November 15, 1910, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery there. His award preserves the memory of a rescue undertaken in combat.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Voluntarily and under fire rescued a comrade from death by drowning.