He was one of thirteen men who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry against the Kiowa and Chief Kicking Bird at the Battle of the Little Wichita River on July 12, 1870.
Solon remained in school and later became a carpenter's apprentice however, on March 1, 1866, he left home and made his way to Boston, Massachusetts where enlisted in the U.S. Army.
Neal spent his first three years in East Texas at Bonham, McKinney, Jefferson, and Greenville[1] during Reconstruction assisting civil authorities in law enforcement, patrolling against vigilante groups, and monitoring elections.
[2] When his term of enlistment expired on March 1, 1869, Neal immediately reenlisted and was transferred to Fort Richardson where he served as post librarian.
He was among the cavalrymen under Captain Curwen B. McClellan who fought against the Kiowa and Chief Kicking Bird near the Little Wichita River on July 12, 1870, and one of thirteen soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for "gallantry in action" a month later.
He then reenlisted with the 10th U.S. Infantry at Fort Clark, Texas on January 8, 1878, but obtained a transfer to the 8th U.S. Cavalry shortly after and spent five years fighting against Mexican bandits and trans-border Indian raiders.