Isaiah Mays, Buffalo Soldier, Medal of Honor Recipient
Isaiah Mays (February 16, 1858 - May 2, 1925) was a Buffalo Soldier in the US Army. He was born into slavery in Virginia. He joined the Army from Columbus Barracks, Ohio, and by May 11, 1889 was serving as a corporal in Company B of the 24th Infantry Regiment. On that day, he was among the troops attacked during the Wham Paymaster Robbery. The next year, on February 19, 1890, Mays was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the engagement. After leaving the Army in 1893, he worked as a laborer in Arizona and New Mexico. He applied for a federal pension in 1922, but was denied. He entered the Territorial Insane Asylum, which housed not only the mentally ill but also people with tuberculosis and those living in poverty. He died in 1925, at the age of 67. His grave was marked with only a small stone block, etched with a number. In 2001, the marker was replaced with an official Department of Veterans Affairs headstone. In March 2009 under the care of the Old Guard Riders Inc., his remains were disinterred, cremated and, in a ceremony befitting a Medal of Honor recipient, was interred in Arlington National Cemetery. No photographer credited, 1900.
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Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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