Otto Voit

Otto Emil Voit
Born	(1845-02-05)February 5, 1845 Freiburg, Baden, Germany
Died	June 1, 1906(1906-06-01) (aged 61) Louisville, Kentucky
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 immigrated to the United States in 1862, and enlisted in the Union Army 13th Infantry during the American Civil War in December 1864. He was a "saddler" (saddle-maker) in Germany and with the U.S. Army. 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 5, 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 moved to Louisville, Kentucky and in 1902 became a United States citizen. He died of influenza 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

• "Otto Voit". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
• "Indian Wars Period Medal of Honor recipients". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. 2005-04-19. Retrieved 2006-12-18.