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Contact Info
Home Town Rawdon, Quebec. Accredited to: New York
Last Address Cook County, Illinois
Date of Passing Nov 01, 1905
Location of Interment Forest Home Cemetery - Forest Park, Illinois
Wall/Plot Coordinates Section CL, Plot 1700
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
QM Samuel F. Rogers, USN Civil War and First Korean War
Samuel F. Rogers (year born is unknown, assumed to be around 1834, died November 1, 1905) was a United States Navy Quartermaster, received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Korean Expedition. He was awarded the medal for his rescue of the mortally wounded Lieutenant Hugh McKee. He was buried at Forest Home Cemetery, in Forest Park, Chicago.
Korean Expedition Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Born in Rawdon, Quebec, he served as a US Navy Quartermaster on board the U.S.S. Colorado. During an attack on Korean forts at positions called the Citadel, June 11, 1871, Quartermaster Rogers was part of the landing party. In the assault, the leading officer was wounded and even though himself wounded, Quartermaster Rogers fought courageously in hand-to-hand combat to protect the officer. For gallantry in the face of the enemy, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on February 8, 1872. He was also a veteran of the Civil War.
Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1834, Rawdon, Quebec. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 169, 8 February 1872.
Citation:
On board the U.S.S. Colorado during the attack and capture of the Korean forts, 11 June 1871. Fighting courageously at the side of Lt. McKee during this action, Rogers was wounded by the enemy.
"Samuel F. Rogers is believed to have been born in about 1834 in Rawdon, Quebec, youngest son of Robert and Mary Rogers of County Monaghan Ireland. In his teens, he moved to Montreal with his older siblings, and first signed up in the US navy in 1856 on the bark Eagle of New Bedford. From 1856 to 1873, he served a series of three-year commissions in the navy, with stints of between a few days and a few months in between staying with his siblings, who had scattered to different parts of Quebec and New York State, not owning his own property until the 1890s, and never marrying. The highlights of his naval career include service on board the San Jacinta in 1860, in which the San Jacinta captured and boarded the brigs Storm King of Congo and the Boneta off the coast of east Africa, liberating 690 and 603 slaves respectively, who were headed for the US market. The would-be slaves were returned to Munrovia, Liberia, and the crews of the captured ships were returned as prisoners of war to Fort Warren, Boston.
He also served in the bark Horace Beale in 1862 and was part of the convoy that bombarded Fort Jackson and Fort Phillip at the mouth of the Mississippi River, forcing the surrender of New Orleans to Federal forces. Lastly, he served on board the U.S.S. Colorado in the Korean War of 1871, winning a Congressional Medal of Honour for defending the life of his lieutenant during the fight for Fort ?. From 1862 on, he had the rank of "Chief Quarter Master". From 1873 to 1883, he took various short-term assignments as quartermaster on schooners on the Great Lakes System. During the 1890s, he was a lighthouse keeper at Spectacle Reef, Northern Lake Huron and South Channel and Grand Marais, Michigan. Some time during these latter years, he bought a property at Grand Marais, where he lived until his death in about 1905. He had by that time been joined by his sister Jane and niece Laura, who was blind, and to whom he left his property."
Other Comments:
The United States expedition to Korea or Shinmiyangyo or simply the Korean Expedition of 1871 was the first American military action in Korea. It took place predominantly on and around the Korean island of Ganghwa. The reason for the presence of the American naval force in Korea was to support an American diplomatic delegation sent to establish trade and political relations with the peninsular nation, to ascertain the fate of the General Sherman merchant ship, and to establish a treaty assuring aid for shipwrecked sailors. When Korean shore batteries attacked two American warships on June 1, 1871, a punitive expedition was launched ten days later after the commanding American admiral failed to receive an official apology from the Koreans. The isolationist nature of the Joseon Dynasty government and the assertiveness of the Americans led to a misunderstanding between the two parties that changed a diplomatic expedition into an armed conflict. On June 10, about 650 Americans landed and captured several forts, killing over 200 Korean troops with a loss of only three dead. Korea continued to refuse to negotiate with the United States until 1882.
Korean Expedition (1871)
From Month/Year
January / 1870
To Month/Year
December / 1871
Description The “Korean Expedition” that steamed out Nagasaki, Japan in May 1871 with five U.S. warships and 1,230 men under the command of Admiral John Rogers had two goals. The first was to open Korea to American merchants. The second was to learn the fate of the U.S. merchant ship, The General Sherman. It had disappeared after sailing up the Taedong River (which leads to modern day Pyongyang) in August 1866. The ship disregarded warnings to stop, ran aground upriver when the tide receded, and then sent out raiding parties. The Koreans eventually attacked the ship and killed its crew. Americans knew none of this because the Koreans refused to say what had become of the ship. So when the Korean Expedition set sail, the New York Times assured its readers that the effort would produce a “Detailed Account of the Treacherous Attack of the Coreans on Our Launches” and deliver “Speedy and Effective Punishment of the Barbarians.”
On June 1, the American ships entered the Ganghwa Straits on the west coast of Korea. Their goal was to steam up the Han River, which led to the capital city of Hanyang (modern day Seoul). The Korean king, however, had barred foreign ships from entering the Han. So when the American ships passed by, the Korean garrison onshore fired. Their outdated weapons did no damage, but that didn’t matter to Admiral Rogers. He gave the Koreans ten days to apologize for what he regarded as an unprovoked assault.
The Koreans refused to comply. So Admiral Rogers made good on his threat. On June 10, the U.S. ships attacked the Choji Garrison on the island of Ganghwa-do. It was a mismatch from the start. The garrison was lightly defended, poorly equipped, and badly outnumbered. U.S. marines and sailors then went on to overrun several other Korean posts on the island. When the smoke cleared at the end of the day, the Americans controlled Ganghwa-do at the cost of three dead. The Koreans weren’t so fortunate. They lost more than two-hundred-and-forty men.
Koreans call the fighting on Ganghwa-do “Shinmiyangyo,” which literally means “Western Disturbance in the Shinmi Year.” The American victory marked the first time that the stars and stripes were raised over Asian territory by force. Fifteen Americans—nine sailors and six marines—earned Medals of Honor for their bravery during the campaign, making them the first Medal of Honor recipients to be honored for fighting on foreign soil.
The Americans hoped that their victory would persuade the Koreans to negotiate. It didn’t. Instead, they sent reinforcements in large numbers and armed with modern weapons. Recognizing that the odds had shifted, the U.S. fleet pulled up anchor and set sail for China on July 3. The United States would not get a treaty with Korea until 1882. That agreement came about in good part because the Korean king was hoping that U.S. support could help him preserve Korea’s independence from China.
The 1882 treaty established “permanent relations of amity and friendship” between the peoples of Korea and the United States. That amity with South Korea continues to this day. But most Americans don’t know that, as the historian Robert Kagan put it, “the self-proclaimed disinterested and peace-loving Americans
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1870
To Month/Year
December / 1871
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Korean Expedition Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Born in Buffalo, New York, he served as a US Navy Quartermaster on board the U.S.S. Colorado. During an attack on Korean forts at positions called the Citadel, June 11, 1871, Quartermaster Rogers was part of the landing party. In the assault, the leading officer was wounded and even though himself wounded, Quartermaster Rogers fought courageously in hand-to-hand combat to protect the officer. For gallantry in the face of the enemy, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on February 8, 1872. He was also a veteran of the Civil War.
The United States expedition to Korea or Shinmiyangyo or simply the Korean Expedition of 1871 was the first American military action in Korea. It took place predominantly on and around the Korean island of Ganghwa. The reason for the presence of the American naval force in Korea was to support an American diplomatic delegation sent to establish trade and political relations with the peninsular nation, to ascertain the fate of the General Sherman merchant ship, and to establish a treaty assuring aid for shipwrecked sailors. When Korean shore batteries attacked two American warships on June 1, 1871, a punitive expedition was launched ten days later after the commanding American admiral failed to receive an official apology from the Koreans. The isolationist nature of the Joseon Dynasty government and the assertiveness of the Americans led to a misunderstanding between the two parties that changed a diplomatic expedition into an armed conflict. On June 10, about 650 Americans landed and captured several forts, killing over 200 Korean troops with a loss of only three dead. Korea continued to refuse to negotiate with the United States until 1882.