John Brown Kerr

Cavalry leadership in the White River action

John Brown Kerr earned the Medal of Honor while commanding a troop of the 6th U.S. Cavalry as a captain. On January 1, 1891, near Little Grass Creek on the White River in South Dakota, his troop fought a force of Brulé Sioux warriors and forced them back toward Pine Ridge Agency.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on March 12, 1847, Kerr received his medal on April 25, 1891. He later attained the rank of brigadier general. He died in Washington, D.C., on February 27, 1928, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

For distinguished bravery while in command of his troop in action against hostile Sioux Indians on the north bank of the White River, near the mouth of Little Grass Creek, S. Dak., where he defeated a force of 300 Brule Sioux warriors, and turned the Sioux tribe, which was endeavoring to enter the Bad Lands, back into the Pine Ridge Agency.