Sergeant Y.B. Rowdy (Indian Wars). Y.B. Rowdy, a Yavapai Indian and native of Arizona, served in the U.S. Army. 

While in Company A of the Indian Scouts, Sergeant Rowdy demonstrated bravery against hostile Apache Indians at the Salt River, near Cherry Creek, Arizona Territory, on March 7, 1890. He received the Medal of Honor for these actions, "
Bravery in action with Apache Indians," but died on March 29, 1893. 


Originally interred at Fort Grant, Arizona, in 1907 his remains were reinterred in Section A, Site 894.


Santa Fe National Cemetery

I have learned since I submitted the above memorial that Rowdy's "first" name was just 'YB' not Yuma Bill who was a different Indian scout who was killed in April 1882 in a fight with Apache renegades.  The 'YB' came from our Sergeant Rowdy's identification 'YB-17' or Yuma Band #17 on the tribal roll.

There is a picture of him at the 'Find-a-Grave' memorial of his gravesite:  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9780/y.-b.-rowdy

Sergeant Yuma Bill Rowdy was awarded his Medal of Honor during the last action against the Apache Indians, the Cherry Creek campaign, in March 1870 while under the command of Captain James Waterman Watson, 10th US Cavalry.  In an article published in "The Journal of the United States Cavalry Association," Captain Watson wrote about this action, describing Sergeant Rowdy as being the chief of his Indian scouts, most faithful, ableist [sic], and pluckiest.  Watson went on to write that Rowdy trailed the Apache through some of the ruggedest terrain, the Salt River Canyon of Arizona, finding them and leading the rest of the cavalry party to their location.  Watson concluded with, "Our success was complete, and was owing mainly to the good work of the scouts in trailing, and, above all, to the bull-dog tenacity and faithfulness of Rowdy." 

Sergeant Rowdy has his own Wikipedia page:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y._B._Rowdy

Cheery Creek Campaign:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Creek_campaign

I discovered this information, including Captain Watson's article, while researching and writing about Watson for a presentation at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History's "History IS Lunch" program.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykv4dczdf0k

Y B ROWDY

Service

MEDAL OF HONOR

US ARMY,

SGT

Resting Place

Mementos

Tributes

Word Cloud

Biography

Milestones

Mementos

Historical Documents

Veteran programs and services

More VA resources

Get VA updates

In crisis? Get help now

Contact us