Charles G. Bickham

Charles G. Bickham
Birth name	Charles Goodwin Bickham
Born	(1867-08-12)August 12, 1867 Dayton, Ohio, US
Died	December 14, 1944(1944-12-14) (aged 77) Dayton, Ohio, US
Place of burial	Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1898–1910
Rank	Captain
Unit	27th Infantry Regiment
Battles / wars	Philippine–American War
Awards	Medal of Honor

Charles Goodwin Bickham (August 12, 1867, in Dayton, Ohio – December 14, 1944, in Dayton) was a United States Army first lieutenant who received the Medal of Honor for "distinguished gallantry" on May 2, 1902, in the Battle of Bayang, during the Moro Rebellion. Lieutenant Bickham carried a wounded soldier across a "fire-swept field".

His medal was awarded by Theodore Roosevelt on April 28, 1904.

He served as a colonel on the staff of Ohio Governor William McKinley. During the Spanish–American War, he served as a corporal in Company G, Third Regiment, Ohio National Guard, and later a captain in the Ninth Regiment (Immunes), U.S. Volunteer Infantry. He served as a captain during the Philippine–American War in the Twenty-eighth Regiment, U.S. Volunteer Infantry, under Col. William E. Birkhimer. After receiving his commission in the regular army as a lieutenant, he served again in the Philippines with the Twenty-seventh U.S. Infantry under then-Captain John J. Pershing.

After twice failing the professional examination required for promotion to captain, in 1909 and 1910, he was honorably discharged from the army in June 1910. He never married.

He died December 14, 1944, and is buried in Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum Dayton, Ohio.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 27th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Bayong, near Lake Lanao, Mindanao, Philippine Islands, May 2, 1902. Entered service at: Dayton, Ohio. Birth: Dayton, Ohio. Date of issue: April 28, 1904.

Citation:

Crossed a fire-swept field, in close range of the enemy, and brought a wounded soldier to a place of shelter.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipients

References

• "Charles G. Bickham, Medal of Honor recipient". Philippine Insurrection. United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
• "Congressional Medal of Honor awarded by Theodore Roosevelt at www.theodore-roosevelt.com Theodore Roosevelt website". Archived from the original on 2007-03-23. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
• "Battling at Bayan: on May 2, 1902, the U.S. Army fought its last major engagement of the Philippines War, and launched a new war against the Islamic Moros of Mindanao". VFW Magazine. 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2010.

Primary sources

• MS-017 Bickham Collection. Dayton Metro Library, Dayton, Ohio. "View online finding aid". Retrieved August 29, 2012.