# Marcus Robbins
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Marcus M. Robbins
|birth_date= {{Birth date|1851|07|25}}
|death_date= {{Death date and age|1924|6|21|1851|07|25}}
|birth_place= [Elba, Wisconsin](/source/Elba%2C_Wisconsin)
|death_place= [Pittsfield, Massachusetts](/source/Pittsfield%2C_Massachusetts)
|burial_place= [Pittsfield Cemetery](/source/Pittsfield_Cemetery)
|burial_label= Place of burial
|image= Marcus M Robbins.jpg
|caption= Marcus M. Robbins, Medal of Honor recipient
|alt=Circular portrait of a white man with a mustache wearing a military jacket with two medals pinned to the chest.
|nickname=
|allegiance= [United States of America](/source/United_States)
|branch=[United States Army](/source/United_States_Army)
|service_years=
|rank= [Private](/source/Private_(rank))
|commands=
|unit= [6th United States Cavalry](/source/6th_Cavalry_Regiment_(United_States))
|battles =[American Indian Wars](/source/American_Indian_Wars)
|awards=[Medal of Honor](/source/Medal_of_Honor)
|other_work=
|relations=
}}
'''Marcus Morton Robbins''' (July 25, 1851 – June 21, 1924) served in the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) during the [American Indian Wars](/source/American_Indian_Wars). He received the [Medal of Honor](/source/Medal_of_Honor).
Robbins was a resident of [Elba, Wisconsin](/source/Elba%2C_Wisconsin). He died at his daughter's home in [Pittsfield, Massachusetts](/source/Pittsfield%2C_Massachusetts) on June 21, 1924, and was buried in [Pittsfield Cemetery](/source/Pittsfield_Cemetery).[{{Cite web |url=http://museum.dva.state.wi.us/Res_honorrecipients_List.asp |title=Medal of Honor Recipients |publisher=[Wisconsin Veterans Museum](/source/Wisconsin_Veterans_Museum) |access-date=2020-03-15 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204940/http://museum.dva.state.wi.us/Res_honorrecipients_List.asp |url-status=dead }}][{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46757445/marcus-morton-robbins/ |title=Marcus Morton Robbins |newspaper=[The Berkshire Eagle](/source/The_Berkshire_Eagle) |page=3 |date=1924-06-21 |access-date=2020-03-15 |via=Newspapers.com}}]
==Army service==
Robbins served as a private in the [Sixth U.S. Cavalry](/source/6th_Cavalry_Regiment_(United_States)), fighting in the [American Indian Wars](/source/American_Indian_Wars)
On April 23, 1875, Robbins and five other soldiers snuck up behind a band of [Cheyenne](/source/Cheyenne) warriors and attacked them from the rear at the [Battle at Sappa Creek](/source/Battle_at_Sappa_Creek) in [Kansas](/source/Kansas). He received a Medal of Honor for these actions on November 16, 1876.[J. Brett Cruse, et al. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=eAdIkIpxn-4C&pg=PA162&lpg=PA162 Battles of the Red River War: archeological perspectives on the Indian]'' at 162.] Several other members of his company also received medals for their role in the battle. [Richard Longstreth Tea](/source/Richard_L._Tea), [Frederick Platten](/source/Frederick_Platten), [James Lowthers](/source/James_Lowthers), [Simpson Hornaday](/source/Simpson_Hornaday), and [Peter W. Gardiner](/source/Peter_W._Gardiner) made up the rest of the expedition around the Cheyenne lines, and all received the Medal of Honor. [Michael Dawson](/source/Michael_Dawson_(Medal_of_Honor_recipient)) and [James F. Ayers](/source/James_F._Ayers) also were a part of the battle, and also were awarded the Medal of Honor.[Walter Frederick Beyer, et al. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=JpYBAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA196 Deeds of Valor]''. Detroit: Perrien-Keydel, 1906. p. 196] The engagement was part of the [Red River War](/source/Red_River_War).
Twentieth-century commentators have questioned the role of the Sixth Cavalry at Sappa Creek, with some calling it a "massacre."[John H. Monnett, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=I0d1AAAAMAAJ&q=%22marcus+m.+robbins%22 Massacre at Cheyenne Hole: Lieutenant Austin Henely and the Sappa Creek]'', 1999. ("[I]ntimations surfaced that the Sappa Creek fight was a massacre of the Cheyennes under Little Bull who attempted to surrender.")]
==Medal of Honor==
His award citation reads:
With 5 other men he waded in mud and water up the creek to a position directly behind an entrenched Cheyenne position, who were using natural bank pits to good advantage against the main column. This surprise attack from the enemy rear broke their resistance.[{{Cite web |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/indianwars.html |title=Medal of Honor Recipients: Indian Wars Period |publisher=[United States Army Center of Military History](/source/United_States_Army_Center_of_Military_History) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204014835/https://history.army.mil/html/moh/indianwars.html |archive-date=2017-02-04 |url-status=dead |access-date=2020-03-15}}]
The medal itself was out of possession of Robbins' family for many years, until it was returned to them in 2009.[Connor Berry. "[http://www.allbusiness.com/humanities-social-science/history/13528754-1.html A Majestic Medal]" ''[Berkshire Eagle](/source/Berkshire_Eagle)'' December 5, 2009]
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[List of Medal of Honor recipients](/source/List_of_Medal_of_Honor_recipients)
*[List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars](/source/List_of_Medal_of_Honor_recipients_for_the_Indian_Wars)
==References==
:{{ACMH}}
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{YouTube|id =nIrqvnbwXyk|title = Medal of Honor of Marcus M. Robbins}}
*{{Find a Grave|8198633|work=Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients|accessdate=2010-01-01}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Marcus}}
Category:People from Elba, Wisconsin
Category:Military personnel from Wisconsin
Category:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
Category:United States Army soldiers
Category:1851 births
Category:1924 deaths
Category:American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Marcus Robbins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Robbins) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Robbins?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.