Pvt. John W. Comfort

Private John W. Comfort

On April 18, 1870, Comfort, aged 25, again enlisted at Philadelphia, this time for five years, and was assigned to Troop A, 4th Regiment, U.S. Cavalry, then stationed at San Antonio, TX. In March 1871, Comfort's troop went into garrison at Ft. Richardson, TX. Comfort was awarded the Congressional Metal of Honor for heroic conduct near Lake Tahokay, Staked Plains, TX, on Nov. 5, 1874, during operations against the Kiowas and Commanches. Colonel R.S. Mackenzie, commanding the 4th Cavalry, recommended him for the Metal of Honor on August 31, 1875. He stated,that Comfort "ran down and killed an Indian on the Staked Plains with no other soldier within a long distance of him...This man is a very distinguished soldier for personal gallantry." Soon afterwards, Comfort was promoted to corporal, and later to sergeant. He was discharged from the service at Fort Clark, TX on June 26, 1878. If the carbine in the photogrqph was Comfort's, then the rear sight must be a M77 Type II since that would have been the only rear sight with high risers, first produced in May 1878. Note also the non-regulation cartridge belt. The above information is from Merle Olmsted. The entire article on Comfort, written by Olmsted, can be found in the Winter 1968 issue of Military Collector & Historian

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