Dennis Bell (Medal of Honor recipient)

Infobox Military Person
name= Dennis Bell
born= birth date|1866|12|28
died= death date and age|1953|9|25|1866|12|28
placeofbirth= Washington, D.C.
placeofdeath= Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


caption= Private Dennis Bell
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears= 1898-1906
rank= Corporal
commands=
unit= Troop H, 10th Cavalry Regiment
battles= Spanish-American War *Battle of Tayacoba
awards= Medal of Honor
laterwork=

Dennis Bell (December 28, 1866 – September 25, 1953) was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Spanish-American War.

Biography

Bell was born December 28, 1866 and joined the Army from his birth city, Washington, D.C.. By June 30, 1898 he was serving as a Private in Troop H of the 10th Cavalry Regiment. On that day, American forces aboard the USS "Florida" near Tayacoba, Cuba, dispatched a small landing party to provide reconnaissance on Spanish outposts in the area. The party was discovered by Spanish scouts and came under heavy fire; their boats were sunk by enemy cannon fire, leaving them stranded on shore.

The men aboard the "Florida" launched several rescue attempts; the first four were forced to retreat under heavy fire. The fifth attempt, manned by Bell and three other Privates of the 10th Cavalry (Fitz Lee, William H. Thompkins, and George H. Wanton), launched at night and successfully found and rescued the surviving members of the landing party. One year later, on June 23, 1899, all four rescuers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in what had come to be known as the Battle of Tayacoba.

Dennis Bell reached the rank of Corporal before leaving the Army. He died at age 86 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.

Medal of Honor citation

Private Bell's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Voluntarily went ashore in the face of the enemy and aided in the rescue of his wounded comrades; this after several previous attempts at rescue had been frustrated.

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish-American War
*List of African American Medal of Honor recipients

References

*findagrave|6127825 Retrieved on 2007-10-29
*cite web
publisher = U.S. Army Center of Military History
title = War with Spain Medal of Honor Recipients
work = Medal of Honor Citations
date = 2004-09-01
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/warspain.html
accessdate = 2007-01-22

Persondata
NAME= Bell, Dennis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH= December 28, 1866
PLACE OF BIRTH= Washington, D.C.
DATE OF DEATH= September 25, 1953
PLACE OF DEATH= Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania