Nicholas Bouquet


Nicholas S. Bouquet was a German soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Bouquet received the United States' highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action during the Battle of Wilson's Creek in Missouri on 10 August 1861. He was honored with the award on 16 February 1897.

Biography

Bouquet was born in Bavaria, Germany on 14 November 1842. He was sent to the United States in order to prevent him serving in the army in Germany. Before the breakout of the American Civil war he worked as a cooper and barrel maker in Burlington. He enlisted into the 1st Iowa Infantry at Burlington, Iowa in April 1861.
During the Battle of Wilson's Creek, Bouquet assisted another gunner from Company A, which was manning the Totten's Battery, in retrieving a disabled gun and preventing it from being captured by the Confederates.
He joined the 25th Iowa Infantry as a sergeant in July 1862, and mustered out with this regiment in June 1865.

Medal of Honor citation