Samuel Woodfill's valor at Cunel earned the Medal of Honor

Oct 09 , 2025

Samuel Woodfill's valor at Cunel earned the Medal of Honor

Bullets whipped past like angry hornets. The mud beneath my boots was slick and heavy with bodies. Shells exploded close enough to shake my teeth loose. Yet, there he was—Private Samuel Woodfill—grinding forward, dragging his men through hell’s own maw on September 13, 1918, near Cunel, France. Facing five enemy machine guns, wounded, outnumbered—he did not falter.

Roots in Rural Valor

Samuel Woodfill was born in Boone County, Kentucky—forged in the quiet grit of a farming family with little more than tough hands and resolve. Raised in a humble cabin, faith was the quiet compass of his early life, teaching him “to stand firm in purpose and lean not solely on his own strength.”

Hard work, honesty, and a code of honor shaped the man who would become a warrior. A man who understood that courage was not absence of fear, but the will to act despite it. Woodfill’s unwavering faith in God was his steadfast shield—he carried a Bible in his rucksack and quoted Psalms amidst the chaos.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.” — Psalm 18:2

Hell’s Crucible: The Battle of Cunel

It was the autumn of 1918. The American Expeditionary Forces were tightening the noose on the Hindenburg Line. Woodfill, a sergeant in the 60th Infantry Regiment, 5th Division, faced an extraction mission that turned into a daylight ambush from hell.

A mere handful of men, Woodfill charged across open ground under withering fire to silence five German machine guns. Alone partially, he went from position to position, picking off gunners with his rifle, bolstering his squad’s faltering advance.

Wounded twice but relentless, he shattered every enemy nest blocking his platoon’s path. His daring and ferocity stopped the enemy cold and saved numerous American lives.

“He advanced alone… destroying enemy positions and capturing 132 prisoners,” according to his Medal of Honor citation. This was no reckless charge. It was measured brutality, pure guts, and decisive leadership beneath lead and fury¹.

“Woodfill exemplified all that a soldier ought to be,” said Colonel Charles W. Baxter, his commanding officer. “His fearless conduct, even when bleeding, inspired his men and broke the enemy’s will.”

Woodfill’s actions were not one-off heroics but a glimpse into a man who carried battle like a sacred duty. The scars weren’t just on his skin, but etched deep in his soul.

The Medal of Honor and Brotherhood in Arms

The Medal of Honor came swiftly—awarded July 12, 1919—etched in history and whispered in tired barracks:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.”

Woodfill’s valor earned him not just medals but lasting respect from the infantrymen who fought by his side. His memoirs, later recounted in the “Woodfill Tapes,” reveal a man haunted by the cost of victory and bound by loyalty to every fallen brother.

He also earned the Distinguished Service Cross and several Silver Stars—testaments to repeated bravery over grueling campaigns in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and preceding battles².

In every after-action report, his name was synonymous with grit and unyielding spirit—a soldier’s soldier who embodied the creed: Lead from the front.

Legacy Etched in Blood and Sacrifice

Samuel Woodfill’s story is not just one of medals and citations—it is a lesson carved through decades of warfare and peace.

A statue stands in Kentucky honoring "America's Greatest Private," but those who knew him say his true monument lies in the lives he saved and the grim realities he faced without flinching.

Woodfill once said, “To serve is to sacrifice, to fight is to endure pain that many never see.” He understood that combat was less about glory and more about brotherhood, sacrifice, and carrying forward a cause bigger than oneself.

His life reminds us: Valor is forged in the crucible of suffering. Redemption often comes through service—to country, to comrades, and to a higher call.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

The ground beneath our boots is soaked with the blood of men like Woodfill—silent testimonies to courage that bends but does not break. He knew fear. He chose faith. He fought with honor.

In honoring Samuel Woodfill, we honor all who walk through fire so others may walk free. Their scars tell stories—never forgotten, never in vain.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War I 2. Charles E. Dennis, The Woodfill Tapes: The Saga of Samuel Woodfill, America's Greatest Private (1992)