Otto Voit

Otto Emil Voit
Born	(1845-02-05)February 5, 1845 Germany
Died	June 1, 1906(1906-06-01) (aged 61) Louisville, Kentucky, US
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1864 - 1898
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
Battles / wars	Indian Wars Battle of the Little Bighorn
Awards	Medal of Honor

Otto Emil Voit (February 5, 1845 – June 1, 1906) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Biography

Voit was a "saddler" (saddle-maker) with the U.S. Army. He joined the army from Louisville, Kentucky in December 1864. He deserted his unit at a Missouri River post on February 21, 1866, and subsequently reenlisted in Company H of George Armstrong Custer's Seventh Cavalry in December 1866 using the alias Frank May. On December 15, 1873, he surrendered as a deserter and received clemency by Presidential proclamation.

Voit was wounded in the Reno-Benteen hilltop action at the Little Bighorn. He was issued the Medal of Honor on October 5, 1878, for his actions during the battle, specifically for providing covering fire for his comrades who went to get water for the wounded on June 25, 1876.

Voit was discharged in 1898 as Saddler Sergeant at Fort Grant, Arizona. He died at age 61 and was buried in Saint Stephens Cemetery in Louisville.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Saddler, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., June 25, 1876. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: October 5, 1878.

Citation:

Volunteered with George Geiger, Charles Windolph, and Henry Mechlin to hold an exposed position standing erect on the brow of the hill facing the Little Big Horn River. They fired constantly in this manner for more than 20 minutes diverting fire and attention from another group filling canteens of water that were desperately needed.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars

References

• "Indian Wars Period Medal of Honor recipients". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. 2005-04-19. Archived from the original on 2013-08-03. Retrieved 2006-12-18.