Sam Collyer

Sam Collyer
Collyer wearing his Medal of Honor
Born	May 14, 1842 Boulogne, France
Died	December 7, 1904 Brooklyn, New York
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	Union Army
Years of service	1862 - 1865
Rank	Captain
Unit	139th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	American Civil War
Awards	Medal of Honor

Sam Collyer (May 14, 1842 in Boulogne, France – December 7, 1904 in Brooklyn, New York) was a lightweight bare-knuckle boxer. He was the son of James Jamieson and Jane Taylor of Angus, Scotland. He weighed between 115 and 125 pounds, and stood 5 feet 5 ½ inches.

Collyer was born in France as Walter Jamieson. He came to the United States as a boy. He joined the Army from Brooklyn in September 1862. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Siege of Petersburg. He left the army with the rank of captain in June 1865.

The earliest contests of Sam Collyer differ from source to source. Some list different dates, locations and people for these bouts. It is certain however, that Collyer did battle, and defeat a man named Mike Carr in early 1866 . The first significant contest of Collyer’s career was his bout with Horatio “Race” Bolster. The two met in Alexandria, VA on May 8, 1866. During the contest, Bolster broke his hand, and was given a tremendous beating. The fight ended after 49 rounds and 55 minutes. Collyer ended the contest when he knocked his opponent off his feet, and Bolster’s seconds threw in the towel.

Later that year, Collyer battled former champion Young Barney Aaron for the vacant Lightweight Championship of America. The Title had been vacated since the retirement of Owney Geoghegan back in 1863. The Aaron/Collyer contest was held on June 20, 1866 at Pohick Landing, VA. The fierce battle was contested for 47 rounds taking 2 hours and 14 minutes before Collyer was declared the winner. Below is an account of the last few rounds of the Collyer/Aaron fight as written in the New York Herald on June 21, 1866:

Rounds 41 to 44—These rounds were merely repetitions of each other, Barney constantly going down on his knees, apparently for the purpose of receiving a foul blow and thereby winning the stakes. At the close of

Round 47—He was entirely blind, and his seconds seeing that there was no possible chance of success and unwilling to subject a game man to further punishment threw up the sponge in token of defeat.

On September 7, 1866 Collyer defended his title against Johnny Lafferty in a contest that lasted 39 rounds and 62 minutes (some sources report 60 minutes). His second defense came against Johnny McGlade at Goldsboro, PA on January 15, 1867. McGlade had suffered a severe fever while training, and was completely dominated during the contest. The two battle for 47 rounds and 55 minutes in the sleet covered ring before McGlade’s corner threw in the towel.