Will C. Barnes

He defended a frontier post during an armed Apache uprising.

Will Croft Barnes was born in San Francisco on 21 June 1858. After working as a sheet music salesman, he joined the United States Army Signal Corps in 1879. He was assigned to Fort Apache in Arizona in February 1880 as a telegrapher and weather observer.

In September 1881, Barnes helped defend Fort Apache against an Apache attack. An Army history places him with a burial party when the fighting began and records his subsequent part in the defence. His Medal of Honor recognized his bravery as a private first class. The award was issued on 8 November 1882.

Barnes left the Signal Corps in 1883 and became a cattle rancher near St. Johns, Arizona. He entered territorial politics and helped establish Navajo County. In 1907 he joined the federal forestry service, working on grazing administration. He also served on the United States Geographical Board and wrote about western life.

He died in Phoenix on 17 December 1936 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

“Bravery in action.”