Bessie Smith died.
Frederick William Gerber -LRB- 1813 -- November 10 , 1875 -RRB- was a German-American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his 32 years of service in the US Army .. German-American. German-American. Medal of Honor. Medal of Honor. US Army. US Army. He is one of only two people -LRB- the other being general Adolphus Greely -RRB- who received the Medal of Honor for his entire career rather than a single action .. Medal of Honor. Medal of Honor. Adolphus Greely. Adolphus Greely. He was born in Dresden , Germany .. Gerber immigrated to the United States in the 1830s and enlisted in the 4th US Infantry in 1839 , retiring a first time in 1844 .. 4th US Infantry. 4th Infantry Regiment ( United States ). He joined the 1st Engineer Battalion when it was created in 1846 and served in the Mexican-American War .. 1st Engineer Battalion. 1st Engineer Battalion ( United States ). Mexican-American War. Mexican-American War. During the Battle of Mexico City , he is said to have saved the life of then second lieutenant George B. McClellan .. Battle of Mexico City. Battle of Mexico City. second lieutenant. second lieutenant. George B. McClellan. George B. McClellan. During the American Civil War , Gerber was responsible for training volunteer recruits into combat engineers .. American Civil War. American Civil War. In September 1864 , he was promoted to Sergeant Major , becoming the senior enlisted soldier in the Corps of Engineers and the first person to hold this rank .. Sergeant Major. Sergeant Major. He was appointed adjutant of the Corps of Engineers in February 1867 .. He was offered a commission on several occasions , but declined each time .. Upon his retirement in November 1871 , Gerber received the Medal of Honor for his entire career .. Medal of Honor. Medal of Honor. He was the first US Army engineer to receive the medal .. US Army. US Army. He was buried in Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn .. Cypress Hills National Cemetery. Cypress Hills National Cemetery. Brooklyn. Brooklyn