Cavalry Awards

The Silver Stirrup award is given in honor of one of Kansas' most distinguished citizens, Samuel J. Crawford.

Crawford was one of Kansas' colorful military leaders. As a Civil War commander and Cavalry Confederate leader, he participated in many crucial engagements. He captured military wagon trains and troop detachments, artillery batteries, and once even captured five gunboats loaded with supplies on the Arkansas River. His Civil War exploits earned him the praise of period writers. "As a Cavalry leader, Governor Crawford has been compared to Marshal Ney, Napoleon's right hand man," one source reported. Others told of his "impetuous and irresistible" Cavalry charges against Confederate strongholds.

Crawford was elected the third Governor of Kansas in 1864, and was the first Governor to be re-elected. He resigned as Governor late in his second term to take command of a regiment of volunteers called out to suppress Indian uprisings in the western part of the state. After retiring from public and military life, he devoted his time to farming and the practice of law.

Samuel Crawford will be long remembered as one of Kansas' most zealous and dedicated leaders, both on the battlefield and in public office. It is in this spirit of leadership and dedication that the Silver Stirrup award is presented by the Kansas Cavalry to one of its outstanding troopers. Though our mission today is different than Samuel Crawford's, the desire and determination with which he pursued his goals are as revered in our time as they were in his.