Francis C High

On episode three hundred and seventy-two, the story of Francis C High is told. Check out new swag available where 50% of profits get donated to the Medal of Honor Museum: https://bit.ly/TOHswag All stories in November and December will be recipients from the Philippine-American War.

Francis, also known as Frank, was born on the 7th of June, 1875, in Dunningham, California, and grew up on his family’s ranch. He enlisted in the US Army in Picard, California, and eventually was mustered to Jacksonville, Oregon with the 2nd Oregon Volunteers. Frank was deployed to the Philippines in support of the Philippine-American War and it was his actions with Young’s Scouts that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

With 21 other scouts charged across a burning bridge, under heavy fire, and completely routed 600 of the enemy who were entrenched in a strongly fortified position.

This bridge was set on fire by the Filipino forces and the river that it crossed was too deep to be crossed by the Scouts, which is why they chose to rush it. Frank received his Medal of Honor on the 4th of April, 1906, moved to Ashland, Oregon, and he and his wife Julie has six children. Francis Charles High died on the 13th of December, 1966, at the age of 91, and he is buried with his youngest son Frances and his family in the Memory Gardens Memorial Park in Medford, Oregon: Garden of Memory, Lot 176, Grave 4.