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Otto Voit

1845 – 1906

United States Army Medal of Honor recipient

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About Otto Voit

Lived 1845 – 1906 (aged 61).

Otto Emil Voit (February 5, 1845 – June 1, 1906) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Biography Voit was a "saddler" (saddle-maker) with the U.S. Army. He joined the army from Louisville, Kentucky in December 1864. He deserted his unit at a Missouri River post on February 21, 1866, and subsequently reenlisted in Company H of George Armstrong Custer's Seventh Cavalry in December 1866 using the alias Frank May. On December 15, 1873, he surrendered as a deserter and received clemency by Presidential proclamation.

Voit was wounded in the Reno-Benteen hilltop action at the Little Bighorn. He was issued the Medal of Honor on October 5, 1878, for his actions during the battle, specifically for providing covering fire for his comrades who went to get water for the wounded on June 25, 1876.

Voit was discharged in 1898 as Saddler Sergeant at Fort Grant, Arizona. He died at age 61 and was buried in Saint Stephens Cemetery in Louisville.

Medal of Honor citation Rank and organization: Saddler, Company H, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Little Big Horn, Mont., June 25, 1876. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: October 5, 1878.

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Important facts

Birth century
Awards
Medal of Honor
Also known as
Otto Emil Voit

People in Otto Voit's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Otto Voit's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Otto Voit?

United States Army Medal of Honor recipient (1845–1906)

When was Otto Voit born?

Otto Voit was born on 5 February 1845 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

When did Otto Voit die?

Otto Voit died on 1 June 1906 in Louisville.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Otto Voit

· Wikidata: Q7109867

· DBpedia: Otto Voit

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Otto Voit. https://biography.guide/otto-voit/

MLA: "Otto Voit." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/otto-voit/.

Chicago: "Otto Voit." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/otto-voit/.

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