Solon D. Neal

Four men climbed toward the rifles to cover a harsh retreat.

Solon D. Neal was born at Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1846 and attended the town's public schools. In 1866 he left home and enlisted in the United States Army. His first years of service took him to several Texas posts, including Bonham, McKinney, Jefferson and Greenville. By 1870 he was a private in Company L, 6th Cavalry, stationed at Fort Richardson.

Neal had been serving as the post librarian before returning to field duty under Captain Curwen McLellan. In July the command pursued a Kiowa war party after an attack on a mail stage. The operation unfolded amid conflict over reservation confinement, supplies and raids across the Red River. Kiowa leader Kicking Bird, previously an advocate of peace, was seeking to restore his standing among warriors.

McLellan's small force followed the trail for days before attacking near the Little Wichita River on 12 July 1870. The cavalry discovered that it faced more opponents than expected, with effective repeating rifles. The engagement became a difficult retreat rather than the decisive pursuit the soldiers had intended. Men were killed and wounded, and the command struggled to bring its survivors away.

During the withdrawal, Neal joined Sergeants John May and John Kirk and Corporal James Watson in volunteering to dislodge riflemen from commanding high ground. The four climbed to the position, killed two opponents and held the height until their comrades had passed. Neal's Medal of Honor citation itself is exceptionally brief: “Gallantry in action.” It assigns the action to 12 July 1870 and records an award issued on 25 August (Congressional Medal of Honor Society: https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/solon-d-neal). The fuller rescue-of-the-retreat account survives in historical research on the engagement.

Neal remained associated with the Army for many years, serving in both cavalry and infantry organisations and later as an ordnance sergeant at the Indianapolis Arsenal. His career included breaks in service rather than an uninterrupted enlistment. He retired in 1897 and returned to Texas, making his home in San Antonio.

He died in the Station Hospital at Fort Sam Houston on 1 November 1920. He left his estate to the American Red Cross. Buried in San Antonio National Cemetery, he is remembered for a few dangerous hours in a long military life, when four volunteers helped a hard-pressed command complete its withdrawal.