Medal of Honor Action Place: Apache Pass, Arizona, USA
Citation
Voluntarily took command of troops and attacked and defeated hostile Indians he met on the way. Surg. Irwin volunteered to go to the rescue of 2d Lt. George N. Bascom, 7th Infantry, who with 60 men was trapped by Chiricahua Apaches under Cochise. Irwin and 14 men, not having horses, began the 100-mile march riding mules. After fighting and capturing Indians, recovering stolen horses and cattle, he reached Bascom's column and helped break his siege.
Medal of Honor Recipient Bernard J. Irwin
Additional Details
Accredited to: New York, New York
Awarded Posthumously: No
Presentation Date & Details: January 24, 1894
Born: June 24, 1830, Ireland
Died: December 15, 1927, Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Buried: U.S. Military Academy Cemetery (MH) (D-17), West Point, NY, United States