Fred E. Smith

Article summary

Fred Eliphaz Smith (March 29, 1873 – September 29, 1918) was a United States Army officer and a posthumous recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He was born in Rockford, Illinois, and graduated from the University of North Dakota in the spring of 1894. He first joined the national guard in 1898, later transferring to the regular army in 1899. He was promoted to major due a lack of capable officers when the US joined World War I. On September 29, 1918, near Binarville, France, Smith showed conspicuous leadership until being mortally wounded. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor four years later, on November 25, 1922. Smith died at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1894 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of birth: 1873-03-29 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of formation: 1898 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1894". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of birth is "1873-03-29". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of formation is "1898". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1352938424