[1] He commanded a troop of U.S. Army cavalry soldiers at both the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, and Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.

He was admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point two years later, and graduated in 1867.

[2] At the ceremony of the burial of the Unknown Soldier from World War I in Arlington, Virginia, Godfrey led two platoons of Medal of Honor recipients as participants.

[3] Godfrey died on April 1, 1932, at his home in the Cookstown section of New Hanover Township, New Jersey.

[4] Godfrey was Captain of D Troop of the 7th Cavalry and commanded its soldiers at the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.

[1]There have been several attempts by various parties to rescind the Medals of Honor awarded in connection with the Battle of Wounded Knee.

[6][7][8] Proponents claim that the engagement was in-fact a massacre and not a battle, due to the high number of killed and wounded Lakota women and children and the very one-sided casualty counts.

[12] The Army has also been criticized more generally for the seemingly disproportionate number of Medals of Honor awarded in connection with the battle.