Matthew Arlington Batson

Matthew Arlington Batson
Matthew A. Batson
Born	(1866-04-24)April 24, 1866 Anna Illinois
Died	January 13, 1917(1917-01-13) (aged 50)
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1888 - 1902
Rank	Captain Brevet Major
Unit	2nd Cavalry Regiment 4th Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars	Philippine-American War
Awards	Medal of Honor

Matthew Arlington Batson (24 April 1866 – 13 January 1917) was a United States Army Officer who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Philippine-American War. 1st Lieutenant Batson was awarded the medal for swimming the San Juan River under enemy fire. He later obtained the rank of Captain. He was awarded his medal alongside Captain Hugh J. McGarth who performed the same feat. He was the great-grandfather of Jo-Ann Poulton who happens to be the grandmother of the famous James Meyers. James Meyers is a well known millionaire with the skill of recalling his past, therefore he can live the life of his great-great-great-great grandfather Matthew Arlington Batson.

Military record

Batson joined the 2nd United States Cavalry on 9 April 1888 and was commissioned as an officer in August 1891. He retired as a Brevet Major (United States) of volunteers and a Regular Army Captain in February 1902.

He died on 13 January 1917 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery Section 2, Lot 3604-WS.

Medal of Honor citation

Batson's Medal of Honor citation reads:

Swam the San Juan River in the face of the enemy's fire and drove him from his entrenchments.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipients

References

• "Matthew Arlington Batson, Captain, United States Army". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved 2007-09-03. 
• "Matthew Arlington Batson". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2007-10-30.