first they had heard from their son since running away from home nearly 30 years before. His mother wrote a letter to the editor of The New York Times which was later forwarded to Nihill. Following Nihill's retirement from the military, he returned to New York and lived in Whitestone, Long Island until his death on May 29, 1908, only four days after his 58th birthday. Accompanied by an escort of troops from Fort Totten, he was buried with full military honors at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Medal of Honor citation Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 5th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Whetstone Mountains, Ariz., 13 July 1872. Entered service at: Brooklyn, N.Y. Born: 1850, Ireland. Date of issue: 4 December 1874. Citation: Fought and defeated 4 hostile Apaches located between him and his comrades. See also List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars Fort McKinney (Wyoming) References Further reading Anderson, Harry H., ed. Indian Campaigns: Sketches of Cavalry Service in Arizona and on the Northern Plains. Collins, Colorado: Old Army Press, 1984. Emerson, William K. Marksmanship in the U.S. Army: A History of Medals, Shooting Programs, and Training. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004. Konstantin, Phil. This Day in North American Indian History: Important Dates in the History of North America's Native Peoples for Every Calendar Day. New York: Da Capo Press, 2002. External links 1850 births 1908 deaths 19th-century Irish people People from Nenagh United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Distinguished Marksman Union Army soldiers People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People from Brooklyn United States Army soldiers Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Irish soldiers in the United States Army American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor