Wham Paymaster robbery

Wham Paymaster robbery
Holding Up the Pay Escort by Frederic Remington
Date May 11, 1889 Location Near Fort Thomas, Arizona Territory 32°50′14″N 110°07′24″W / 32.83722°N 110.12333°W / 32.83722; -110.12333 Result Bandits steal $28,345.10 in gold and silver coins
Belligerents
United States	Unknown
Commanders and leaders
Joseph W. Wham	Gilbert Webb (alleged)
Strength
12 infantrymen	7–13 bandits
Casualties and losses
8 wounded	1–2 killed (suspected)

The Wham Paymaster robbery (/ˈhwɑːm/ WHAHM) was an armed robbery of a United States Army paymaster and his escort on May 11, 1889, in the Arizona Territory. Major Joseph W. Wham was transporting a payroll consisting of more than US$28,000 (equivalent to $949,510 in 2023) in gold and silver coins from Fort Grant to Fort Thomas when he and his escort of eleven Buffalo Soldiers were ambushed. During the attack, the bandits wounded eight of the soldiers, forced them to retreat to cover and stole the payroll.

As a result of their actions under fire, Sergeant Benjamin Brown and Corporal Isaiah Mays were awarded the Medal of Honor while eight other soldiers received a Certificate of Merit. Eleven men, most from the nearby Mormon community of Pima, were arrested, with eight of them ultimately tried on charges of robbery. All of the accused were found not guilty, and the stolen money was never recovered.