George Wanton

George Henry Wanton

Public Domain

Quick Facts

Significance:

Buffalo Soldier and Medal of Honor Recipient

Place of Birth:

Paterson, New Jersey

Date of Birth:

May 15, 1868

Place of Death:

Washington, D.C.

Date of Death:

November 24, 1940

Place of Burial:

Arlington, Virginia

Cemetery Name:

Arlington National Cemetery

George Henry Wanton was born on May 15, 1868, in Paterson, New Jersey, to William H. and Margaret Wanton. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1884 and served for four years. He was discharged from the Navy in 1888. In 1889, Wanton enlisted in M Troop, Tenth Cavalry, in Paterson. In 1898 as the Army was mobilizing for war with Spain, Wanton was serving as a corporal in M Troop. As the Tenth Cavalry was boarding its transport ships bound for Cuba, Wanton, along with 50 other troopers, was chosen by Lieutenant Carter P. Johnson for a special assignment. Johnson and his men were headed behind enemy lines to reenforce and resupply Cuban fighters seeking liberation from Spanish rule.

On June 30, 1898, Cuban freedom fighters and some American volunteers aboard the U.S.S. Florida attempted an amphibious landing at Tayabacoa, Cuba. The landing party immediately engaged with Spanish soldiers from a nearby blockhouse. The Cubans and Americans retreated, leaving behind a group of wounded comrades. 

A call for volunteers on the U.S.S. Florida to rescue the wounded soldiers began to make the rounds. After several unsuccessful rescue attempts, Corporal Wanton, Private Fitz Lee, Private Dennis Bell, Sergeant William H. Thompkins, and Lieutenant George P. Ahern offered to rescue their wounded comrades. 

The five soldiers went ashore and surprised the Spanish holding their comrades. The rescuers were able to free all the wounded soldiers, and everyone returned safely to the U.S.S. Florida. Wanton, Lee, Bell, and Thompkins were awarded the Medal of Honor in the summer of 1899 for their actions at Tayabacoa. 

Wanton left the Army at the end of the Spanish American War once his enlistment was up. He returned to Paterson but had a hard time finding steady work despite his Medal of Honor and honorable military service. He reenlisted for a short time in 1902 and after this enlistment ended, he again returned to civilian life. 

Unable to find a place in the civilian world, Wanton reenlisted again in 1909, this time as a private with the Tenth Cavalry at Fort Ethan Allen in Vermont. He served in the Tenth Cavalry for 10 years and took part in the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916 and 1917. Wanton’s final retirement from the Army came in 1925, as a master sergeant in the Quartermaster Department at the age of 58. 

In retirement, Wanton represented the Buffalo Soldiers at several functions honoring Medal of Honor recipients. He was also chosen to be an honorary pall bearer at the burial of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in 1921. George Henry Wanton died on November 24, 1940. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Section 4, Lot 2749.